Mt. Papandayan still dangerous, villagers urged to stay away
Mt. Papandayan still dangerous, villagers urged to stay away
Budianto, The Jakarta Post, Garut
Despite the obvious dangers, many people entered the cordoned off
safety area near Mount Papandayan's crater to get a closer look
at the huge majestic eruption.
Hundreds of villagers, foreigners, photographers and cameramen
took the risk of going in closer than one-kilometer radius cordon
zone around the volcano's crater, which was still spewing ash and
thick smoke on Saturday.
"The volcano is still dangerous and no one is allowed to enter
the forbidden are," Mas Atje Purbawinata, a volcanologist of the
directorate general for volcanology affairs and mitigation, told
reporters here on Saturday.
Purbawinata said despite the decreasing number of eruptions,
there were no signs that the 2,665-meter-high volcanic peak would
slow down completely "and the situation is still similar to that
on Friday. That is why we ask all people, including journalists,
to stay at least four kilometers away from its crater. We could
have a major eruption sometime in the near future."
Nonetheless, it was a good scene for viewers on Saturday
morning to see the volcano's awesome power as it spewed hot ash
and thick smoke to a height of 6,000 meters in the air.
The ash has been blown to the volcano's southeast over several
tea plantations in Bandung regency.
"But they must know we can not do anything to help them if the
volcano starts to discharge hot lava that could flow down to
farmlands and villages," he said.
Purbawinata who has watched the volcano's increasing activity
since it began last Monday, said some 7,000 displaced villagers
who had fled their homes on Thursday would not be allowed to go
back home until the volcano's status was degraded.
Garut Regent Dede Satibi said he had asked the people to
remain in their temporary camps or locations in safety areas in
Cisurupan and Bayongbong subdistricts.
"Food and drug stocks for the villagers are still adequate,"
he said after witnessing the provision by the Red Cross of
humanitarian relief to the refugees.