3 Nearest Village Of Mount Ile Lewotolok Asked To Be Alert For Lava Longsoran

Residents under the foot of Ile Lewotolok Volcano in Lembata Regency, NTT, on Tuesday 23 November 2021. (ANTARA-Kornelis Kaha)

High intensity rain has flushed the peak of Mount Ile Lewotolok in Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) recently. Three nearby villages were asked to be aware that rainfall could trigger lava avalanches from the top of the mountain.

"The three villages that must be vigilant are Jontona, Lamawolo and Lamatokan villages," said Head of the Mount Ile Lewotolok Monitoring Post Stanis Arakian when contacted, Tuesday, November 8.

Stanis said, apart from the lava avalanche, what the surrounding community also needs to watch out for is the hot clouds from the top of the mountain.

"The location that needs to be watched out for is at the top of the mountain, precisely in the eastern part," he said.

Stanis appealed to residents at the foot of the mountain to prepare masks and other equipment to protect their eyes and skin.

He explained that volcanic ash has potential hazards that can cause respiratory problems (ARI) and other health problems, so the community

Residents who live around the river are also asked to be aware of the threat of hot lava, especially during the rainy season. Because if there is rain with high intensity, it is feared that there will be material from the top of the mountain that will participate.

So far, based on Antara's report, Stanis said, the Lembata Regional Government together with the local BPBD and monitoring posts have always coordinated in terms of volcanic anticipation.

Furthermore, Stanis said that currently Mount Ile Lewotolok is still on alert or level III. The mountain activity also tends to fall. As of July 26, 2022, until now, avalanche activity has not occurred again.

From the results of monitoring with drones on October 15, 2022, it is estimated that the length of the lava flow on the Northeastern slope is about 800 meters from the lips of the eastern crater or about 1,200 meters from the center of the eruption.

He added that although the volcanic activity tends to decline, the potential threat of danger should be watched out for by the public, such as avalanches or lava avalanches to the East and East.