Head of the Center for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG), Hanik Humaida, said that Mount Merapi from its current activities shows an eruption direction. From seismic data, gas output and deformation are still high, and avalanche activity continues to increase. “It shows the approaching time of the eruption,” said Hanik Huamidah in a Webinar organized by UGM-Kagama entitled “Merapi Eruption, What Can Be Done?” on Sunday (29/11).
However, Hanik Humaida did not clearly state when the eruption will occur. However, she predicts that this Merapi eruption will not be as massive as the 2010 eruption. “Even if there is an eruption, it is estimated that it will not be as massive as in 2010,” she said.
She also appealed to the people living around the Merapi area to stay alert and pay attention to the directions from the local government so that there were no fatalities. “People are asked to follow directions from the local government and not be influenced by information that has no clear source,” she said.
The Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, said that his party coordinates with district governments in Central Java such as Magelang, Klaten, and Boyolali to anticipate the eruption’s impact. In addition, carrying out the evacuation time correctly but still carrying out health protocols at the refugee camps to prevent the transmission of Covid-19. “I think this is not an easy task. During this pandemic, the location of refugees must be separated from vulnerable groups,” he said.
To avoid victims, his party carried out disaster risk reduction mitigation that was prepared from the start. Although according to him, the people around Merapi have their wisdom to recognize the signs of when to evacuate. “We want to make sure everything goes well. We need to give thought and provide an overview to help disaster risk be reduced properly,” he said.
Head of the UGM Center for Disaster Studies, Dr. Agung Harijoko, said that studies on the history of eruptions found that Merapi had explosive eruptions with sub-plinian type to plinian type with large eruptions occurring in 2010 and 1872. “The recurrence period is approximately one hundred years,” he explained.
Mitigation efforts are required to reduce the risk of Merapi’s eruption. He mentioned the experience of the ancient Mataram kingdom in the 8th and 9th centuries, which was unable to save infrastructure such as temple buildings which were eventually covered by the former eruption. While the population at that time mostly chose to flee to the East Java area. “In the past, there was no mitigation, so that the eruption covered some temples. People at that time moved to East Java to save their lives,” he said.
From past experiences, according to him, current development planning needs to pay attention to the disaster aspect by understanding the history of eruptions and knowing which areas are threatened by the eruption.
Meanwhile, BNPB’s Deputy for Prevention, Lilik Kurniawan, said the community’s resilience around Merapi was excellent. However, they still needed to be accompanied and received support. “BNPB will do many things. Maybe when there is an eruption, we will help. We have made a list of logistics and equipment, including funding, and help prepare hospitals and health centers. We are trying so that there are no victims during the eruption,” he said.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/20434-gunung-merapi-mendekati-erupsi
