Indonesia’s Bali volcano erupts, residents told to wear masks

By APD writer Maverick

**JAKARTA, Nov. 21 (APD) ** — Mount Agung volcano in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali erupted on Tuesday afternoon, spewing black smoke that billowing 700 meters into the air after Indonesian authorities had downgraded the volcano’s alertness status.

The eruption took place at 17.05 p.m. Central Indonesian Time (WIT) black smoke and thin white layer of volcanic dust emitted from the crater, the nation’s Center of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) agency said.

The agency also said that smoke emitted by the Mount Agung blew to east-southeast directions. The agency learned that tremors and and volcanic quakes prior to the eruption between noon to the moment shortly before the eruption took place.

Responding to the volcano’s latest development, national disaster mitigation agency of BNPB issued an advice for Bali residents, particularly those living around the volcano that located in Bali’s northeast regency of Karangasem, to wear mask so as to avoid the harms from volcanic dusts.

BNPB Spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the alert status has been reduced to level 3 alert, particularly in areas considered dangerous around the volcano.

“People should not be panic. Stay away from 7.5 kilometers around the volcano as the PVMBG has recommended to,” Sutopo said in his social media account.

The level 3 alert status, which was imposed on October 29, was applied as well for mount climbers, visitors and tourists. They were told not to make any activities with the dangerous zone with maximum tolerance of 6 kilometers from the volcano’s crater.

Head of PVMBG Kasbani said that considerations to downgrade the alert status were based on several indicators, including tremors, slower deformation in the volcano and recovering temperature.

Refugees resided in areas considered safe, not in dangerous zone, have been gradually returned to their houses after the alert status was downgraded.

Indonesian authorities imposed the highest alert status at level 4 in September 22 when the volcano was indicated to erupt.

The scare for eruption had prompted people, including those living in non-dangerous zones, sought refuge to shelters provided by Bali regional authorities. More than 141,000 people catered to 414 shelters located in 9 regencies and municipalities due to the eruption scare.

Aviation administrator had also set contingency plans should the volcano erupts, including transferring flights from and to Bali to several airports in Java and other islands near Bali.

Tourism activities in the resort island remained normal as the eruption scare loomed in Bali in September.

The volcano that standing tall over 3,000 meters above sea level in Bali saw its most devastating eruption in 1963, killed more than 1,500 ones.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)