PVMBG: Anak Krakatau's Structure Post-2018 Unlikely to Trigger Tsunami

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has requested that communities in the coastal areas of Banten and Lampung remain calm and avoid panic following concerns regarding tsunami threats caused by the continuous eruptions of Mount Anak Krakatau, which have been accompanied by loud booms and rumbles.

The Acting Head of the BNPB Centre for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication, Berton SP Panjaitan, stated in Jakarta on Saturday that the government is closely monitoring the concerns of residents, particularly those living in the coastal regions of Banten and Lampung, regarding the potential for a tsunami due to the volcano’s activity.

These fears are closely linked to the community’s experience during the tsunami event on 22 December 2018, which was associated with the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau.

However, according to evaluations by the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), the growth of Mount Anak Krakatau’s structure since 2018 remains relatively small and does not possess the potential for a massive collapse that would trigger a tsunami.

“Therefore, residents in Banten and Lampung are expected not to panic,” he said on Saturday, as quoted from Antara.

Berton explained that the continuous eruptions occurring from Friday (4/9) at 23:07 WIB until Saturday (5/9) morning were observed to eject lava fountains during the night and caused one eruption-related earthquake with a 70 mm amplitude and a duration of up to 21,600 seconds.

The BNPB Directorate of Operations Control confirmed that the impact of the ejected volcanic material even damaged monitoring cameras and CCTV equipment, causing them to cease operation.

In response to the activity level of Mount Anak Krakatau, which remains at Level III (Alert), the BNPB, alongside PVMBG, recommends that residents, fishermen, and tourists sterilise all activities within a three-kilometre danger radius from the active crater.

He further emphasised three main handling priorities: the enforcement of danger zone sterilisation by local government and regional disaster management agency (BPBD) patrols, the preparedness of evacuation routes and assembly points on the coast, and appeals for citizens not to approach the location merely to document the eruption for the sake of collective safety.