Thousands were forced to evacuate their homes over the weekend following the eruption of several volcanoes across the Indonesian archipelago.
The Indonesian authorities have issued multiple evacuation orders upon growing volcanic activity in the Java, Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku regions.
On Sunday, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki of the East Nusa Tenggara province erupted, spewing clouds of volcanic ash 700 meters into the sky and displacing more than 6,500 people according to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.
Also on Sunday, Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s most active volcano, erupted on the densely populated island of java, releasing clouds of hot ash into the air and lava streams that travelled up to 2 km away according to Indonesia’s Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center. Residents living in the area were advised to stay at least 7 km away from by authorities and fears are growing for the 250,000 people who live within 10 km of the volcano.
Merapi also recently erupted in December of 2023, killing 23 hikers, while back in 2010, an eruption from Merapi that lasted over a month caused over 300 deaths and further displaced around 350,000.
On Saturday, the eruptions of Mount Semeru in the East Java province and Mount Ibu in the North Maluku province were also recorded.
No casualties as a result of the eruptions over the weekend have been reported at this time.
Much of Indonesia forms part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a 40,000 km-long tectonic belt of volcanoes and seismic fault lines. As such, the country is prone to frequent volcanic activity and earthquakes.
The fallout from volcanic activity in Indonesia causes devastation to its people and infrastructure. Entire villages are blanketed in ash, posing respiratory health concerns and damaging agriculture; airports are closed disrupting travel; deadly volcanic mudflows from torrential rains can cause death and destroy infrastructure. Constant vigilance, setting up exclusion zones and evacuation centers, and the work from organisations such as the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency and the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center are crucial for the minimization of damage from volcanoes and earthquakes.
References
Booth, Rich, and Niniek Karmini . “Thousands Evacuated as Volcano Erupts and More Expected along Pacific ‘Ring of Fire.’” The Independent, The Independent, 21 Jan. 2024, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/volcano-indonesia-mount-merapi-lava-b2482262.html.
Entry, Encyclopedic. “Ring of Fire.” National Geographic, National Geographic, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ring-fire/ Accessed 22 Jan. 2024.
DiLorenzo, Sarah. “Indonesians Flee as Thundering Volcano Spews Ash – Sfgate.” Sfgate.Com, Associated Press, 8 Nov. 2010, www.sfgate.com/news/article/Indonesians-flee-as-thundering-volcano-spews-ash-3166540.php.
CoUk, BBC. “Mount Merapi, Indonesia 2010 – Volcanoes – WJEC – GCSE Geography Revision – WJEC – BBC Bitesize.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z2ttk2p/revision/4. Accessed 22 Jan. 2024.
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Giuseppe Gillespie Writing 
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