Merapi Status Now Stand-By
Wednesday, 14 June, 2006 | 16:32 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Yogyakarta: The Volcanological and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has reduced the status of the Mount Merapi volcano from on alert to stand-by.

The change of status is following the volcano, which has been less active after discharging hot clouds for a month.

It is recommended that refugees return to their houses.

The change in status was announced by Yousana O.P. Siagian, Head of the Bandung PVMBG, to the governor of Yogyakarta, the governor of Central Java and regents surrounding Mount Merapi.

According to Ratdono Purbo, Head of the Yogyakarta Agency for the Assesment & Application of Volcanic Technology (BPPT Kegunungapian), the status was reduced after analysis of Merapi's activities from June 10 to June 12 had been carried out.

During that period, he said, the mountain's activities had been decreasing significantly.

“The seismic activities have decreased sharply. Hot clouds and glowing lava, both their frequencies and span, have also decreased. Hot clouds are indeed still being discharged, but their direction can now be predicted, towards the Gendol river, and they're not dangerous,” said Ratdomo yesterday.

Merapi observation officers at Jrakah Observation Post, Boyolali, Central Java, saw lava flows from a new lava dome, moving towards the West and the North.

According to Sugiyoto, an observation officer, the lava flows are at an early stage of glowing lava and hot clouds discharge.

“But the flow distance is only around 200 meters,” he said.

Subandriyo, the Head of Mount Merapi Section at the Yogyakarta BPPT Kegunungapian, said the reduced activities showed that the lava dome position in 2006 was more stable.

He explained that in addition to expelling hot clouds three times in six hours, Merapi also discharged glowing lava 60 times towards Gendol and Krasak.

Seismograph records show that glowing lava oozed 86 times and there were 11 multi-phases quakes.

During the 24 hours since Monday, Merapi has discharged hot clouds 22 times, glowing lava once, melting lava 364 times and experienced eight tectonic quakes.

Imron Rosyid, Syaiful Amin and Ahmad Fikri