SERANG - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Banten Province has strengthened mitigation and preparedness measures following the Level III status or Alert for Anak Krakatau Mountain (GAK).
However, the public is asked not to panic because tourism activities in the Anyer and Carita areas are still safe.
Head of the Banten Provincial BPBD, Lutfi Mujahidin, said that the government's focus at this time is not only on monitoring the volcanic activity of Mount Anak Krakatau, but also on strengthening mitigation strategies against potential secondary impacts, especially tsunamis.
"We have been carrying out mitigation since the beginning of the year, even we have strengthened it after the Level III status of GAK," said Lutfi in Serang, Antara, Monday, July 17.
He explained that the public and tourists did not need to worry too much. If an eruption occurs that has the potential to trigger a tsunami, the early warning system has been designed to provide enough evacuation time for coastal residents.
According to him, there is a golden time or golden time of about 40 minutes that can be used by the public to safely evacuate after the warning is issued.
To ensure this readiness, the Banten BPBD continues to strengthen cross-sectoral coordination with the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), TNI, Polri, and local governments.
In addition, BPBD also provides rapid evacuation training to the Tirta Tourism Rescue Agency (Balawista) which is in charge along the coastal area.
"In addition, BPBD also provides rapid evacuation training to the Tirta Tourism Rescue Agency (Balawista) which is on guard along the coastline," he said.
Lutfi emphasized that the decision to evacuate would always be based on official information and the results of expert analysis. The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau does not necessarily require people to evacuate if there is no indication of potential tsunami.
Meanwhile, the PVMBG Volcano Observatory at the Anak Krakatau Mountain Observation Post, Anggi Nuryo Saputro, reminded the public not to equate the current mountain condition with the Sunda Strait tsunami event in 2018.
According to him, morphologically the current condition of Mount Anak Krakatau is very different from before the tsunami event.
Based on PVMBG's study, the height of the Anak Krakatau Mountain is currently in the range of 158 meters above sea level (msl), lower than before the 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami which reached around 337 msl.
"The conditions are not the same as in 2018. However, the public must still comply with the recommendations of PVMBG, namely it is prohibited to carry out activities within a radius of three kilometers from the active crater. All official information can be accessed through MAGMA Indonesia," said Anggi.
In the midst of the increased status of Mount Anak Krakatau, tourism activities on the coast of Banten continue to take place normally.
Based on field monitoring, a number of tourist destinations such as Bandulu Beach in Anyer and Pandan Beach in Carita are still crowded with tourists from various regions, including Bekasi, Bogor, and Tangerang, who enjoy a safe and comfortable vacation.
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