PVMBG Reminds Residents To Beware Of Potential Bandang Floods Susulan Marapi

Residents together with the police while trying to evacuate a car trapped due to the rain lava flood in Agam Regency, West Sumatra. BETWEEN AM/Muhammad Zulfikar.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) reminded the public to continue to be aware of the potential for further flash floods around the river that originates from Mount Marapi, West Sumatra.

"During the rainy season or high rainfall intensity, the area around the river that originates at Mount Marapi still has the potential for further flash floods," said PVMBG Head Hendra Gunawan as quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, May 25.

This was conveyed by the Head of PVMBG regarding the results of a preliminary investigation of the land movement in Tanah Datar Regency and Agam Regency, West Sumatra Province.

The government through the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has prepared a number of mitigation measures to anticipate further flash floods, one of which is through weather modification technology operations or TMC.

The weather engineering is expected to be able to move rain cloud seeds from disaster-affected locations to high seas.

In the report submitted by PVMBG, it is known that the type of soil movement that occurs in Agam Regency and in Tanah Datar Regency is the flow of raw materials, or flash floods influenced by material after the eruption of Mount Marapi.

Responding to the potential for further flooding and ground movement, PVMBG issued a number of recommendations, including, first, the agency suggested that people who still live around the riverbanks that originate from Mount Marapi immediately evacuate to a much safer location.

PVMBG recommends monitoring the development of the flow of raw materials to find out the latest conditions, especially in the river area which originates from Mount Marapi.

Furthermore, if there is a development of the flow of after-match materials on the river channel, the community is asked to immediately stay away from the location of the land movement or river flow.

PVMBG also suggested that Sabo dam be immediately built which functions as the controller of the river that originates from the volcano.

"This includes repairing and enlargeing river culverts, normalizing rivers and repairing water, especially in the upstream part," he said.