Tourists Advised to Stay Far from Mount Merapi
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22 March 2021 13:51 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tourists coming to Yogyakarta are prohibited from approaching Mount Merapi, especially within a 5-kilometers radius from the summit. Until Sunday, March 21st, volcanic activity at Mount Merapi were still detected.
Hanik Humaida, head of the Yogyakarta Institute for Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development (BPPTKG), said that Merapi is still at level III or Alert status. This status has been on since the eruption in early January 2021, as the volcano is still releasing volcanic material intensely.
This makes it very dangerous for people to be within a 5 kilometer radius of the summit.
From March 12 to 18, Merapi was recorded to have spewed ash clouds three times with a maximum launch distance of 1,000 meters, as well as 211 lava with a maximum launch distance of 1,200 meters.
Hanik continued that the two calderas of Mount Merapi are still growing with increasing volume, raising risks of danger from hot clouds and avalanches of hot lava.
There is also the threat of cold lahar avalanche due to the high intensity of rain. "The public must be aware of the dangers of lahar, especially when it rains around Mount Merapi," said Hanik.
Read: Mount Merapi Emits Incandescent Lava 13 Times on Saturday
PRIBADI WICAKSONO (CONTRIBUTOR)
