Mount Ile Lewotolok NTT Eruption, This Time Spewing Abu Capai 750 Meters

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

NTT - Mount Ile Lewotolok erupted again. This is based on a report from the monitoring post of the mountain area in Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Head of the Mount Ile Lewotolok Monitoring Post, Stanis Arakian, said that the height of the fluctuating ash column this time reached 750 meters. Previously, it was only in the range of the height of the ash column from 500-700 meters.

"The eruption of Mount Lewotolok has occurred again with an eruption height of approximately 750 meters," he said, in his report to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVBMG), Monday, March 27, which was confiscated by Antara.

From the results of monitoring the mountain, the ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity leaning towards the west and northwest.

"This eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 13.1 mm and a duration of approximately 32 seconds," he continued.

Furthermore, he said, currently Mount Ile Lewotolok is at level II or Alert status after previously being at level III or Alert status.

Therefore, his party recommends that people around Mount Ile Lewotolok, both visitors, climbers, and tourists, do not enter and do not carry out activities within a two km radius of the top of the mountain.

Besides that, the people of Lamawolo Village, Lamatokan Village, and Jontona Village, he said, should always be aware of the potential threat of danger from avalanches/longsoran lava and hot clouds from the eastern top of the mountain crater.

Mount Ile Lewotolok erupted in November 2020 with a ash height of up to 4,000 meters which resulted in three villages at the foot of the mountain being evacuated to Lewoleba City, Lembata Regency.

Eruption with a height of 4,000 meters at the top of the mountain, emitting landslide material and ash that interferes with the breathing of residents around the foot of the mountain and also residents in other villages.

Flights from Kupang to Lembata and Kupang Larantuka had to be stopped because volcanic ash flew to Larantuka City, which is very far away.