BNPB Urges Public Not to Panic in Response to Mount Anak Krakatau Eruption
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has requested that communities in the coastal regions of Banten and Lampung remain calm and avoid panic following concerns over potential tsunami threats caused by the continuous eruptions of Mount Anak Krakatau, which have been accompanied by loud booms and rumbles.
The Acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Centre, Berton SP Panjaitan, stated in Jakarta on Saturday that the government is closely monitoring the public’s anxiety, particularly among those living along the coasts of Banten and Lampung. This concern is largely rooted in the community’s experience of the tsunami event on 22 December 2018, which was linked to the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau.
However, according to evaluations by the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), the growth of Mount Anak Krakatau’s structure since 2018 remains relatively small and does not pose a potential for a massive collapse that could trigger a tsunami.
Berton explained that the continuous eruptions occurring from Friday (4/9) at 23:07 WIB until Saturday (5/9) morning have been observed ejecting lava fountains during the night and causing one eruption-related earthquake with an amplitude of 70 mm and a duration of up to 21,600 seconds.
The BNPB Operations Control Directorate confirmed that the impact of the volcanic material ejections even damaged monitoring cameras and CCTV equipment, causing them to cease operation.
In response to the activity level of Mount Anak Krakatau, which remains at Level III (Alert), the BNPB, alongside the PVMBG, recommends that the public, fishermen, and tourists sterilise all activities within a three-kilometre danger radius from the active crater.
He further emphasised three main handling priorities: the enforcement of the danger zone sterilisation by local government and BPBD patrols, the preparedness of evacuation routes and assembly points along the coast, and an appeal for residents not to approach the site merely to document the eruption for the sake of collective safety.