Men's Lewotobi Mountain Eruption: Residents Are Advised Not To Take Off Masks

Visual Mount Lewotobi Male from Wulanggitang District, East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Sunday (7/1/2024). (Between/Fransiska Mariana Nuka)

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) through the Center for Monitoring of Volcano and Disaster Mitigation of the Land Movement of Nusa Tenggara appealed to the public not to remove masks to anticipate the impact of sulfur gas (sulfur) from the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

"Wearing masks and eye protection," said Head of the Volcano Monitoring and Mitigation Center for the Land Movement of the Nusa Tenggara Region, Zakarias Ghele Raja, in Wulanggitang District, East Flores, Sunday as quoted by Antara.

After the increase in the status of Mount Lewotobi Male from level II (Alert) to level III (Alert) on January 1, 2024, residents of several villages in two sub-districts, namely, Wunggitang and Ile Bura began to evacuate both to posts that had been built and residents' houses.

Zakarias said the eruption caused rain of volcanic ash and sulfur flavors that began to smell with moderate to strong intensity one week from the increase in mountain status.

He asked the public not to take off their masks while carrying out activities to avoid respiratory problems caused by dust and sulfur aroma.

Zakarias also emphasized the prohibition on activities within a radius of three kilometers from the eruption center and sectoral four kilos in the northwest of the north and southwest of the eruption center.

Observations of seismicity show a significant increase in the Deep Volcanic Earthquake and Shallow Volcanic Earthquake in the past week.

The emergence of these earthquakes indicates an increase in pressure or stress on the volcanic body related to magma supply at deep and shallow depths.

"If there is an eruption and ash rain, people are advised to stay indoors," he said.