Volcano continues to rumble, some villagers return home<\/p>\n
Budi Hananto, The Jakarta Post, Garut, West Java<\/p>\n
Hundreds of villagers living near Mount Papandayan have been
\nallowed to abandon temporary shelters and return to their homes
\non Thursday although the volcano was still creating mudslides and
\nemitting thick smoke.<\/p>\n
The decision was made by the village chiefs after consulting
\nwith officers from the directorate of volcanology at the ministry
\nof energy and mineral resources that had been monitoring the
\nvolcano's activities.<\/p>\n
"For those who are living in the safe belts where the
\nmudslides do not pass, they can return homes. But they should be
\naware of any progress of the volcanic activities," Cisurupan
\nPolice chief First Insp. Sopian said.<\/p>\n
As a result, the number of people fleeing their homes was down
\nby around 1,000 people from over 4,000 people on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
All villagers that have been stranded in the biggest shelter,
\nthe Agung Mosque in Cisurupan village, decided to return home at
\n2 p.m on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The shelter, however, is still on 24-hour alert to anticipate
\nthe volcano's eruption or to help villagers from other shelters.
\nIt is also the center of any aid and its distribution.<\/p>\n
Sopian said that only residents of Salam Nunggal, Tanjungsari,
\nand Cilimus villages were still at the shelters of Pasirpogor and
\nthe Miftahul Huda Islamic boarding school.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian relief has started to reach the shelters. The
\nassistance came from various agencies and local administrations.
\nThe central government has also promised to send relief
\nassistance.<\/p>\n
Authorities have closed since Wednesday an area in a radius of
\nseven kilometers from the peak of the 2,636-meter (8,700-feet)
\nvolcano, near the town of Garut.<\/p>\n
Sumatra and Western Java Volcano Monitoring unit head Isya
\nNurahmat Dana, however, reminded people living near rivers to
\nstay alert for mudslides.<\/p>\n
He suggested the residents of Cipaganti, Sirnajaya, Pangauban,
\nPakuwon, and Sirnagalih villages to keep at least a 100-meter
\ndistance from the rivers.<\/p>\n
"The volcano is approaching eruption, but we cannot predict
\nwhen it will erupt. We can only monitor it through a
\nseismograph," Isya told AFP.<\/p>\n
Papandayan volcano caused mudslides at least 19 times on
\nThursday, a slight decrease from 25 the day before. The biggest
\nemission was one at 1:30 a.m. and twice at 12:15 p.m. on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
The smoke being spewed out by the volcano reaches between 600
\nmeters and 1,000 meters high while the dust has been blown up to
\n10 kilometers toward the western areas of Garut regency. The
\nthickness of the dust in the affected areas varies from two
\ncentimeters to 10 centimeters.<\/p>\n
Officials have cautioned villagers over possible disasters in
\nthe coming days due to possible heavy rains as the volcano causes
\nmud to run down the Cibeureum Gede and Cibeureum Leutik rivers.<\/p>\n
"Cibeureum river is covered by the mud and it is at the same
\nlevel with the ground surface of the surrounding areas. If the
\nrain falls, the mud will sweep away more villages," Isya said.<\/p>\n
The mudslides have already covered around 43 hectares (106
\nacres) of rice fields in one village.<\/p>\n
Papandayan has had three recorded eruptions, with the last one
\nin 1942.<\/p>\n
Western Volcano Monitor division chairman Mas Atje Purbawinata
\nsaid that gas pressures from inside the volcano caused some
\ncracks in the crater's base and western walls.<\/p>\n
The volcanic activity has also forced some of the wild animals
\nto abandon the mountain's forest. Some villagers reported that
\nthey saw tigers and boars running down the mountain's slopes.<\/p>",
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