Govt raises warning of possible mudflows
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Directorate General for Volcanology and Mitigation called on villagers who fled from the slopes of Mount Papandayan in Garut, West Java, to stay alert ahead of possible mudflows, despite decreased volcanic activity.
The director of the government's volcano monitoring body, Akhmad Djumarna Wirakusumah, said on Monday that volcanic activity had abated significantly since Sunday but people were told not to approach the area.
"People who want to see the crater should keep a safe distance of at least one kilometer from the peak because the volcano is still spewing rock, ash and thick smoke," he told Antara.
Akhmad also told residents living near the Cibeureum Gede, Cibeureum Leutik and the Ciparugpuk rivers to take precautions against possible mudflows from the volcano, especially those in the Cisurupan district, near the banks of the Cibeureum river.
The areas prone to mudflows are the Salam Nunggal, Naringgul, Cibeureum, Cipaniisan and Cibeureum Babakan villages.
"A mudflow can hit a village at anytime, since the volcanic material in the mountain's crater is increasing. It would only take heavy rain (to start one)," Akhmad warned.
He said the volcano had one million tons of mud at its peak and it could come down in the form of a mudflow should it continue to rain.
A mudflow engulfed three villages last week near the banks of the Cibeureum river after tremors started in the volcano.
Garut administration secretary Rachmat Sudjana said that the incident destroyed 27 houses and 43.9 hectares of rice paddies.
He added that ash had covered and destroyed some 200 hectares of tea plantations, 50 hectares of crops and 20 hectares of a protected forest.
Akhmad said that thick dust from the eruptions had caused Cileuleuy villagers on the mountain's western slope to suffer from respiratory problems and coughing.
Rachmat said that 60 families from the villages of Sirnajaya and Sirnagalih would be evacuated because of the immediate danger of another mudflow from the mountain.
The 2,636-meter Mt Papandayan continued to emit smoke to a height of 700 meters on Monday. There are 9,286 people from five villages sheltering at 32 refugee camps.
Rachmat said that the supply of rice had decreased. He said that there were only seven tons of rice at the Cisurupan shelter, one ton at the Bayongbong shelter and five tons at the Garut administration office.
Meanwhile, Dindin, a community leader of the Sirna Jaya village, said that the government should repair four dams near the Cibeureum river because they were a source of water for the paddies and residents of Sirna Jaya, Cipaganti, Pakuwon, Sirna Galih, Kerta Jaya and Simpang Haur villages.