Local vilagers banned from approaching Mt. Lewotobi

Local vilagers banned from approaching Mt. Lewotobi

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

Mount Lewotobi in East Flores continued to spew ash, lava and
other volcanic material on Thursday, forcing local authorities to
increase warnings to prevent fatalities.

Local villagers have been banned from the volcano's slopes,
said Stanis Tefa, secretary of the Natural Disaster Management
and Refugee Coordination Board task force in the East Nusa
Tenggara capital of Kupang.

He said an Alert One status was declared by the Volcanology
and Geological Disaster Mitigation director at the Lewotobi
monitoring post.

"The status was increased to Alert One after volcanic activity
significantly increased over the last 48 hours," Tefa said.

Mount Lewotobi in Wulanggitan subdistrict first erupted on
Sunday. Minor and major eruptions have been recorded since.

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

Thousands of refugees evacuated from around the mountain have
begun to suffer from respiratory problems and cholera.

Tefa said many victims were suffering from acute respiratory
tract infection (ARI) and cholera, as they were breathing white
volcanic ash mixed with sulfur.

He said his office had provided around 3,000 masks and medical
assistance to the refugees.

"The number of masks available there is still not enough, so
the local health office is coordinating with related agencies to
meet the high demand for more masks."

East Nusa Tenggara administration spokesman Johanis
Kosapilawan said his office had asked rescue workers, police and
military officers to be on full alert in anticipation of
"extraordinary incidents" stemming from larger eruptions.

At least six villages that are home to more than 10,000 people
have been affected by the volcanic activity. Many of the
villagers have been plagued by ARI and cholera.

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.

The villagers had also been forced to drink water contaminated
with volcanic material, Tefa said.

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