Volcanic alert mechanism found lacking: Official

Volcanic alert mechanism found lacking: Official

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A government official admitted yesterday that
Indonesia needs to develop a more effective method of alerting
people to imminent volcano eruptions.

R. Sukhyar, the chief of the Volcano Analysis division at the
Directorate of Volcanology, said methods are no longer effective
in warning people living on or near active volcanoes.

"Maybe some self-introspection is needed here," Sukhyar said
at the end of a two-day workshop reviewing 10 years of Franco-
Indonesian cooperation in volcanology technology.

Referring to last year's eruption of Mt. Merapi which took 66
lives, he said, "Our information should have been clearer ... The
report we conveyed was not taken as a warning."

The last piece of information communicated by the authorities
before the Nov. 22 eruption was about rocks falling into the
Boyong River, which is to the south of Mt. Merapi.

It turned out the people did not react to the information
because rocks had fallen before without harmful consequences.

Sukhyar added that the authorities were probably not fully
aware of the dangers because every eruption followed different
patterns.

Volcano monitoring agencies and the local administration also
need to improve their understanding of the various stages of
volcanic eruptions, he said.

Mt. Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, will be
the focus of another international workshop here bringing
together volcanologists from all over the world.

The workshop will run from today until Monday and will include
an expedition to the volcano.

Titled "Merapi International Decade," the discussions will
evaluate studies about the volcano and list what still remains
mysterious, Sukhyar said.

The title refers to the United Nation's International Decade
of Natural Disasters Reduction, launched in 1990. Mt. Merapi is
listed as one of the sources of volcanic disasters by the
International Association of Volcano and Earth Chemistry
Interior.

The meeting is expected to result in recommendations for
further steps to alert people of volcanic activities.

Mt. Merapi has characteristics similar to other volcanoes such
as Mt. Colima in Mexico and Mt. Unzen in Japan, Sukhyar said.

He added that other volcanoes listed by the Association
include the Vesuvius in Italy, Taal in the Philippines and Ranier
in the United States.

Seventy delegates from 15 countries are taking part in the
workshop. (anr)