Pagar Digerjak, Perpetrator Curi 6 Accu, 2 Solar Panels And Regulator Equipment Monitoring Of Mount Semeru Activities

Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Priatin Hadi Wijaya when giving a statement in Bandung, West Java, Tuesday (6/8/2024). (ANTARA/Rubby Jovan)

The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) reports that the tool to monitor the development of the eruption activity of Mount Semeru, Lumajang Regency, East Java, which is currently on alert status or level 2 has been stolen. Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Priatin Hadi Wijaya revealed that the missing equipment was six access, two solar panels, and one solar panel regulator used to monitor the volcanic activity of Mount Semeru. "After checking by the team from the monitoring of the volcano, it turns out that the doors and fences have been broken down by sawing them," Hadi said in Bandung, Antara, Tuesday, August 6. Hadi said this incident was very detrimental, given the importance of the tool in detecting and providing early warnings regarding potential eruptions and other dangers posed by the activity of Mount Semeru. “ We hope the community will help us. Because this is not the interest of PVMBG but the interests of the wider community, especially the people and affected residents of the disaster mitigation,” he said. He admitted that PVMBG together with the local police were investigating this theft incident and hoped that lost equipment could be found and returned soon. "Of course, how much the missing equipment causes monitoring of our monitoring tools to not work and that causes it to not be able to monitor accurately that's dangerous," he said. Furthermore, he said, by losing this monitoring tool, his party highlighted the importance of the security of vital equipment used in disaster mitigation. PVMBG asks the public to report if they see or know information related to this theft.

"Indeed, we can anticipate because there is spare equipment. But we also have limitations if it can happen again,” said Hadi.