REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MAGELANG -- Villagers, whose houses are located on the slopes of Mount Merapi, have returned to their routine activities following a phreatic eruption at Mount Merapi at 1:25 a.m. local time, Monday. The phreatic eruption lasted for 19 minutes.
The Magelang Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) confirmed that public activities have returned to normal, as only few villages were affected by the volcanic ash. The office's daily chief Edy Susanto noted in Magelang District, Central Java, on Monday that the villages swamped by the volcanic ash include Kemiren and Kaliurang in Srumbung Sub-district.
"Only two villages in one sub-district (were affected by the ash)," he reaffirmed.
Following the eruption, the disaster mitigation office has distributed thousands of masks to the locals living on the slopes and foothills of Mount Merapi. "Although the (ash) rain has now stopped, we call on the people to continue to wear their masks (as a preventive measure)," Susanto noted.
On a separate occasion, Munasir, a resident of Kamongan Village, remarked that his house was situated 13 to 15 kilometers from the crater. Despite the proximity, he admitted that his house was not swamped by the volcanic ash. "I have seen no volcanic ash after the eruption, but the material may swamp Kaliurang Village that is situated nine kilometers from the crater," he added.
Meanwhile, Heri Suprapto, chief of Kepuharjo Village, noted that most locals will access official information on Mount Merapi issued by the Yogyakarta Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Office. "Most locals appeared to remain calm during and after the eruption. We have lived with the volcano for years. This mild explosion would disturb our daily routines," Suprapto stated.
The Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development reported here on Monday (May 21) that Mount Merapi had erupted.
"A low-level phreatic eruption had occurred at 1:25 a.m. local time, Monday (May 21), for 19 minutes, with the smoke column rising 700 meters from the crater, as observed by the officials at the Babadan Station," the agency noted in a statement.
Despite the eruption, the agency remarked that the seismic amplitude remains in the normal level at 20 millimeters.
Due to the low-level eruption, the Yogyakarta BPBD said it will not evacuate the locals living on the slopes and foothills of Mount Merapi, Wahyu Pristiawan, the office's quick disaster response team commander, confirmed.
"The phreatic eruption was triggered by a boost in the pressure of water vapor due to contact of water masses with heat under the crater of Mount Merapi," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency's spokesperson, noted in a statement.
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