Lumajang Regent Moves to Regulate Sand Mining on Mount Semeru

Lumajang Regent Indah Amperawati has called for sand mining activities in the Mount Semeru area to be halted at night after an incident where a miner was buried by residual material from a hot cloud avalanche. “Sand mining activities in the Mount Semeru area must observe safe operational time limits,” Indah said in a statement in Lumajang on Sunday (21/6), as quoted by Antara. A sand miner, Veri Irawan (33), a resident of Sumberwuluh Village, Candipuro District, was buried by residual material from a Mount Semeru hot cloud avalanche while manually mining sand in the lahar flow zone early on Saturday (20/6). He had begun his mining activity on Friday (19/6) night. “This time restriction is an important mitigation step to reduce risks that may arise from changing natural conditions in the volcanic material flow area,” Indah stated. She explained that mining activities should not continue into the night because field conditions are more difficult to monitor at that time. Furthermore, the dynamics of the Semeru area can change at any time, whether due to weather factors, material movement, or the potential for lahar flows when rain occurs in the upstream region. “We continue to remind that mining activities must observe safe operational hours. This is important so that miners have a better safety margin when working in the disaster-prone Semeru area,” she said. According to her, implementing more orderly operational hours will help miners monitor field conditions more optimally, including facilitating a rapid response if disaster information is received from the authorities. “Mining activities during the daytime until late afternoon provide a better opportunity for miners to recognise changes in field conditions, compared to activities conducted at night when visibility decreases and potential hazards are harder to detect quickly,” she said. The local government is encouraging all parties involved in mining activities, from miners and field coordinators to village governments, to jointly build discipline regarding operational hours as part of a safe working culture. “This restriction on operational hours is not intended to hinder people’s livelihoods, but to ensure that economic activities can continue while prioritising the safety of miners and surrounding residents,” she said. Indah explained that safety must be an inseparable part of economic activities in the disaster-prone Semeru area, so compliance with operational hours, vigilance towards field conditions, and attention to official disaster information need to be continuously strengthened. “The Lumajang Regency Government will continue to conduct outreach and strengthen communication with the mining community so that the appeal regarding safe operational hours can be understood and implemented consistently in the field,” she said. Through discipline regarding operational hours, increased vigilance, and compliance with safety appeals, it is hoped that mining activities in the Semeru area can proceed more safely, measurably, and responsibly. Meanwhile, the victim Veri, who suffered serious burns covering 80 percent of his body after being buried by residual hot cloud material from Semeru and was treated at Dr Haryoto Regional General Hospital in Lumajang, was reported to have died on Sunday morning.