Still Level III, PVMBG Says Men's Lewotobi Mountain Activities Are Starting To Decrease

Illustration of the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Male in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (Between)

NTT - Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Hendra Gunawan said that the volcanic activity of Mount Lewotobi Male in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), continues to decline. "Activities are still experiencing eruptions, but volcanic earthquakes have decreased relatively. Indeed, the activity has begun to decrease, but we are still monitoring it until the impact is really safe for all of us," said Hendra in front of residents affected by the eruption at the evacuation posts. Konga and Boru, East Flores, Tuesday, January 30, confiscated by Antara. He explained that the eruption stage that occurred on Mount Lewotobi Male started from the ejection of volcanic ash, then incandescent stones, and flowing lava. According to Hendra, the lava that flows should be the last phase. However, he asked all parties to remain patient with the status of the mountain which is now at Level III or Alert. He said the decline in mountain status did not necessarily occur immediately, but adhered to the principle of prudence and prioritized public safety. "We prioritize caution so that we are all safe and safe," he said.

Based on visual evaluations and seismicities carried out in the period 23 to 29 January 2024, PVMBG noted that the volume height of the eruption column decreased on average from 1,500 meters above the peak to 500 meters. Furthermore, the movement of lava flows to the northeast was observed to slow down, then the number of eruptions decreased from 15 to 25 incidents every day to three to five events per day. Not only that, the sliding distance of hot clouds of avalanches that previously reached two kilometers (km) has now become 1 km, then the value of SO2 has decreased significantly, indicating that magma supply has decreased. For this evaluation, PVMBG has lowered the status of mountain activity from Level IV or Alert to Level III or Alert starting January 29, 2024 at 12.00 WITA. However, Hendra emphasized that there are recommendations for a safe radius that must be obeyed by the public. He asked the public not to carry out activities within a radius of 4 km from the eruption center, then sectoral 5 km in the north-east direction, and six km in the northeast sector. "Hopefully all the earthquakes will decrease, for us security is prioritized," he said.