Volcano continues to rumble, some villagers return home

Budi Hananto, The Jakarta Post, Garut, West Java

Hundreds of villagers living near Mount Papandayan have been allowed to abandon temporary shelters and return to their homes on Thursday although the volcano was still creating mudslides and emitting thick smoke.

The decision was made by the village chiefs after consulting with officers from the directorate of volcanology at the ministry of energy and mineral resources that had been monitoring the volcano's activities.

"For those who are living in the safe belts where the mudslides do not pass, they can return homes. But they should be aware of any progress of the volcanic activities," Cisurupan Police chief First Insp. Sopian said.

As a result, the number of people fleeing their homes was down by around 1,000 people from over 4,000 people on Wednesday.

All villagers that have been stranded in the biggest shelter, the Agung Mosque in Cisurupan village, decided to return home at 2 p.m on Thursday.

The shelter, however, is still on 24-hour alert to anticipate the volcano's eruption or to help villagers from other shelters. It is also the center of any aid and its distribution.

Sopian said that only residents of Salam Nunggal, Tanjungsari, and Cilimus villages were still at the shelters of Pasirpogor and the Miftahul Huda Islamic boarding school.

Humanitarian relief has started to reach the shelters. The assistance came from various agencies and local administrations. The central government has also promised to send relief assistance.

Authorities have closed since Wednesday an area in a radius of seven kilometers from the peak of the 2,636-meter (8,700-feet) volcano, near the town of Garut.

Sumatra and Western Java Volcano Monitoring unit head Isya Nurahmat Dana, however, reminded people living near rivers to stay alert for mudslides.

He suggested the residents of Cipaganti, Sirnajaya, Pangauban, Pakuwon, and Sirnagalih villages to keep at least a 100-meter distance from the rivers.

"The volcano is approaching eruption, but we cannot predict when it will erupt. We can only monitor it through a seismograph," Isya told AFP.

Papandayan volcano caused mudslides at least 19 times on Thursday, a slight decrease from 25 the day before. The biggest emission was one at 1:30 a.m. and twice at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday.

The smoke being spewed out by the volcano reaches between 600 meters and 1,000 meters high while the dust has been blown up to 10 kilometers toward the western areas of Garut regency. The thickness of the dust in the affected areas varies from two centimeters to 10 centimeters.

Officials have cautioned villagers over possible disasters in the coming days due to possible heavy rains as the volcano causes mud to run down the Cibeureum Gede and Cibeureum Leutik rivers.

"Cibeureum river is covered by the mud and it is at the same level with the ground surface of the surrounding areas. If the rain falls, the mud will sweep away more villages," Isya said.

The mudslides have already covered around 43 hectares (106 acres) of rice fields in one village.

Papandayan has had three recorded eruptions, with the last one in 1942.

Western Volcano Monitor division chairman Mas Atje Purbawinata said that gas pressures from inside the volcano caused some cracks in the crater's base and western walls.

The volcanic activity has also forced some of the wild animals to abandon the mountain's forest. Some villagers reported that they saw tigers and boars running down the mountain's slopes.