Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Mount Merapi has been erupting continuously from November 3 to 8, and has become calmer since the end of October, chief geologist said.
"Now, the energy within Merapi is no longer as high as when it first erupted from October 26 to November 3," R. Sukhyar, geology agency chief at National Agency for Disaster Mitigation (BNPB) said here on Sunday.
Mount Merapi has been in an intensity stage of eruption since the first eruption followed by a series of subsequent eruptions that have claimed over 200 lives and displaced over 350,000 people in the three regencies of Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces.
Sukhyar added that the decreasing energy within the 3,000 meters high volcano was why the government has reduced the disaster area in four regencies surrounding the volcano.
In addition, apart from the energy reduction, Sukhyar added that the concentration of sulphur dioxide around the volcano has decreased, marking the decreasing magmatic activities inside the cauldron.
Sukhyar said that when the biggest eruption took place on November 5, the sulphur dioxide contents of the volcano had reached 120 kilotons and but gradually reduced to 40 kilotons on November 8. Now, the sulphur dioxide has reached low level difficult to detect.
The geology agency expanded the radius of the danger area to 20 square kilometers on November 5, and from 8, 10 and 15 square kilometers in the early days following the first eruption on October 26. As of 6 am Sunday the danger area had been set at 10 square kilometers (Klaten and Boyolali regencies) and 15 square kilometers in Magelang.
Whereas for Sleman, the closest regency, the danger area remained 20 square kilometers, the safe radius for Sleman has been maintained at the same level due to new cleavage formed on the peak of the volcano opening southwards and northwestwards, according to Sukhyar.
For Klaten and Boyolali, towns sharing a natural protection from rivers separating the Merapi landmass with the two regencies, making a smaller radius for hot lava flowing down from the Merapi peak. For Magelang, the regency is located even farther.
source : antaranews.com
