REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDA ACEH -- A total of 122,000 people have been evacuated from the danger zone in connection with the volcanic activity at Mount Agung in Bali.

"The evacuation was completed within a radius of 12 kilometers. Based on the latest data, a total of 122,000 evacuees have now been accommodated at 447 centers," Khofidah Indar Parawansa, Social Affairs Minister, said here, Friday, after opening a regional meeting on family planning program.

The minister said her office had already calculated the amount of rice needed for the evacuees, adding that a total of 290,000 tons of rice, which was considered sufficient, had been made available for them.

"Based on our calculation, up to 40 tons of rice will be needed to feed the 122,000 evacuees every day. Our supply is quite sufficient based on the market estimate for emergency response," she remarked.

She mentioned that her office had also updated the data on evacuation centers, as the number of evacuees had continued to increase.

The head of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG), Kasbani, said the potential for the mountain to explode was still high, as indicated by the signs that have emerged based on the monitoring results done at a monitoring post in Rendang, Karangasem.

"We cannot ascertain when it might explode. Only God knows," he stated.

Kasbani stressed that each volcano had its own characteristic, and so no correct prediction could be made, while Mount Agung has been inactive for the past 54 years.

Regarding the quantity and quality of the earthquakes on the mountain, which are fluctuating, he noted that in general, their rate was still high, and so the potential to erupt was huge.

"I reiterate that the potential to erupt is still huge. It remains under the highest alert," he said.

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