Volcanic alert mechanism found lacking: Official<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): A government official admitted yesterday that
\nIndonesia needs to develop a more effective method of alerting
\npeople to imminent volcano eruptions.<\/p>\n
R. Sukhyar, the chief of the Volcano Analysis division at the
\nDirectorate of Volcanology, said methods are no longer effective
\nin warning people living on or near active volcanoes.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe some self-introspection is needed here,\" Sukhyar said
\nat the end of a two-day workshop reviewing 10 years of Franco-
\nIndonesian cooperation in volcanology technology.<\/p>\n
Referring to last year's eruption of Mt. Merapi which took 66
\nlives, he said, \"Our information should have been clearer ... The
\nreport we conveyed was not taken as a warning.\"<\/p>\n
The last piece of information communicated by the authorities
\nbefore the Nov. 22 eruption was about rocks falling into the
\nBoyong River, which is to the south of Mt. Merapi.<\/p>\n
It turned out the people did not react to the information
\nbecause rocks had fallen before without harmful consequences.<\/p>\n
Sukhyar added that the authorities were probably not fully
\naware of the dangers because every eruption followed different
\npatterns.<\/p>\n
Volcano monitoring agencies and the local administration also
\nneed to improve their understanding of the various stages of
\nvolcanic eruptions, he said.<\/p>\n
Mt. Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, will be
\nthe focus of another international workshop here bringing
\ntogether volcanologists from all over the world.<\/p>\n
The workshop will run from today until Monday and will include
\nan expedition to the volcano.<\/p>\n
Titled \"Merapi International Decade,\" the discussions will
\nevaluate studies about the volcano and list what still remains
\nmysterious, Sukhyar said.<\/p>\n
The title refers to the United Nation's International Decade
\nof Natural Disasters Reduction, launched in 1990. Mt. Merapi is
\nlisted as one of the sources of volcanic disasters by the
\nInternational Association of Volcano and Earth Chemistry
\nInterior.<\/p>\n
The meeting is expected to result in recommendations for
\nfurther steps to alert people of volcanic activities.<\/p>\n
Mt. Merapi has characteristics similar to other volcanoes such
\nas Mt. Colima in Mexico and Mt. Unzen in Japan, Sukhyar said.<\/p>\n
He added that other volcanoes listed by the Association
\ninclude the Vesuvius in Italy, Taal in the Philippines and Ranier
\nin the United States.<\/p>\n
Seventy delegates from 15 countries are taking part in the
\nworkshop. (anr)<\/p>",
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