Mt Merapi quieter but danger remains

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Aside from a few minor tremors and rumblings, Mount Merapi was generally quieter yesterday compared to several powerful eruptions occurring Saturday.

The government has eased the warning for areas at the slope and foot of the volcano from full alert, the highest level requiring people to evacuate, to high alert, requiring people to be prepared to flee at short notice.

The 2,911-meter Merapi, said to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world, continued spewing hot ashes and toxic gas to as far as four kilometers from the crater, but not far enough to endanger the heavily populated areas around it.

Sukhyar, the director of volcanology at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said the three million cubic meters of lava and other volcanic debris spewed out during Saturday's eruptions could be hazardous to inhabitants.

Should it rain in the next few days, the debris could flood areas along Lamat, Senowo, Sat and Blongkong rivers to the west, he said.

"People who live near these rivers should remain vigilant and watch Merapi's activity," Sukhyar said.

Antara quoted Mas Atje Purbawinata, a senior official at the local Volcanology Directorate's research office, as saying that the government continued to closely monitor Mt. Merapi.

He said several cracks caused by internal pressure were spotted at the top of the crater.

Another government researcher, Ratdomo Purbo, said two volcanic earthquakes were recorded yesterday, but they were not as intense as the ones felt Saturday.

There have been no reports of casualties since the first powerful eruption Saturday. Officials attributed this to the high alert maintained by villagers long familiar with such natural disasters.

But some farmers still could not come to terms with the crop losses.

Marjo, a 51-year-old tobacco farmer in Krajan village, Dukun subdistrict, returned yesterday to find most of his plants destroyed by hot volcanic ash.

"I never imagined that it would be this severe," he said.

Krajan was among the worst-hit villages near Mt. Merapi.

Dukun residents worked hand-in-hand yesterday to remove big trees that had fallen after the eruptions and were blocking roads.

The provincial administration has sent relief teams, including medical workers, to 15 villages in Dukun, a subdistrict with a population of about 41,000.

"We also have 15 trucks ready to evacuate the villagers if Merapi erupts again," a local official said. (23/44/prb)