Diseases hit as ash, sulfur rains down on East Flores

Diseases hit as ash, sulfur rains down on East Flores

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang,
East Nusa Tenggara

Thousands of refugees and other villagers affected by the
eruptions of Mount Lewotobi in Wulanggitan subdistrict, East
Flores regency, East Nusa Tenggara, have begun to suffer from
respiratory problems and cholera, officials said on Wednesday.

The people began to succumb to the ailments as the volcano
continued to spew hot ash, lava, rocks, fireballs and sulfur down
its slopes.

Stanis Tefa, secretary of the Natural Disaster Management and
Refugee Coordination Board's task force in the East Nusa Tenggara
capital of Kupang, said many victims were suffering from acute
respiratory tract infection (ARI) and cholera, as they were
breathing white volcanic ash mixed with sulfur.

Tefa, who is also head of the social affairs bureau in the
East Nusa Tenggara secretariat, said the villagers were in dire
need of assistance, such as masks and medicine, in order to curb
the spread of ARI and cholera.

At least six villages that are home to more than 10,000 people
have been plagued by the diseases.

The worst-hit village is Hokeng Jaya, which has a population
of around 2,300. The village is covered in volcanic ash measuring
three- to five-centimeters deep.

"To meet the need for masks and medical assistance, our task
force has joined forces with the local health office to
distribute them to the victims in East Flores," Tefa said.

He said the East Flores natural disaster and refugee task
force reported that volcanic activities on Mount Lewotobi
continued on Wednesday, accompanied by minor and major eruptions.

The hot ash and fireballs have destroyed thousands of hectares
of crops and have sparked forest fires, which have continued to
spread out of control around the volcano.

The villagers had also been forced to drink water contaminated
by lava and other volcanic material, he told The Jakarta Post in
Kupang.

Vegetables from the area could not be eaten because they were
contaminated by sulfur, while animals in the area also suffered
from contaminated vegetation.

The East Nusa Tenggara administration, through the local
resettlements and regional infrastructure office, has so far
provided 10 tons of rice and clean water for the refugees, while
East Flores Regent Felix Fernandes has sent another 500 kilograms
of rice.

The local administration has promised to send more assistance,
such as tents and other supplies.

It is not immediately clear how much damage the eruption has
already caused, while the seismology department at the Boru
volcano monitoring office has advised local residents to beware
of larger eruptions in the coming days.

Deputy East Nusa Tenggara Governor Frans Lebu Raya was quoted
by Antara as saying that more people would be evacuated if the
situation continued to worsen.

The volcano first erupted on Sunday, spewing lava, rocks,
fireballs and sulfur, and billowing a two-kilometer-high column
of hot ash.

Villagers from Boru, Boru Kedang, Nawa Kote, Nuri, Nobo Konga
and Hokeng Jaya, all located on the slopes of the volcano, were
evacuated to safer areas, and no casualties or injuries were
reported.

Mount Lewotobi is one of twin mountains that locals
affectionately call the "Man and Woman" mountains.