Preventing Cold Lava Floods Of Marapi, West Sumatra Provincial Government Builds Cendam

Residents saw post-flood conditions of cold lava Mount Marapi hitting Nagari Bukik Batabuah, Canduang District, Agam, West Sumatra, Friday (5/4/2024)/Antara/Altas Maulana

PADANG- The Provincial Government (Pemprov) of West Sumatra (West Sumatra) will build a concave at several points to anticipate the impact of cold lava floods such as what happened in Agam Regency and Padang Panjang City.

"There are 25 rivers that originate from Mount Marapi and we must deal with strategic steps to prevent cold lava flooding," said West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi in Padang, quoted from ANTARA, Thursday, April 18.

The governor said the construction of thedam was to reduce the impact or risk of cold lava floods on the environment, community settlements, infrastructure, and so on.

"We plan to build a concave so that in the event of a cold lava flood and landslides upstream, it is hoped that it will not affect the downstream," he said.

The former Mayor of Padang said that the plan to build a security check will be carried out by the Street Hall because it is under the authority of the agency.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Emergency Response Team for the Eruption of Mount Marapi Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), Ugan Saing, warned of the dangerous impact of cold lava on community settlements due to volcanic material deposits on the peak and slopes of Mount Marapi.

Ugan explained that the threat of cold lava is included in the secondary hazard category. This threat occurs due to a mixture of accumulation of volcanic material such as ash, sand and rocks in the peak area and slopes of Mount Marapi.

The volcanic material gradually mixes with rainwater which eventually causes cold lava flooding through the river that originates from the volcano.

For example, the cold lava disaster that occurred on Friday (5/4) and hit several areas in Agam Regency and Padang Panjang City.

Based on data from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and simulated maps owned by PVMBG, there are at least 23 rivers that originate from Mount Marapi. This means that dozens of rivers have the potential to pose a cold lava threat at any time.