East Java Provides Masks in Preparation for Mt Agung Eruption

Surabaya, (Antara Sumbar) - The East Java provincial government has provided 850 thousand masks to the evacuees as a precautionary measure amid fears that Mount Agung in the Indonesian island resort of Bali will soon erupt.

"The East Java provincial government is ready to help as much as it can, including providing 850 thousand masks," Vice Governor Saifullah Yusuf remarked here on Monday (Oct 2).

Yusuf has also called on the people of Banyuwangi and the surrounding areas in Bali to remain calm and take precautionary measures against the possible eruption of Mount Agung in the near future.

In addition, refugee camps have been readied in the areas of Banyuwangi, Situbondo, Bondowoso, and Lumajang to handle the large displacement of people when Mount Agung erupts.

Social Affairs Minister Khofidah Indar Parawansa remarked on Friday that a total of 122 thousand people were evacuated from the danger zone in connection with the volcanic activity at Mount Agung in Bali.

According to Parawansa, the evacuation was completed within a radius of 12 kilometers, and based on the latest data, a total of 122 thousand evacuees have been accommodated at 447 centers.

The minister said her office had already calculated the amount of rice needed for the evacuees, adding that a total of 290 thousand tons of rice, which was considered sufficient, had been made available for them.

"Based on our calculation, up to 40 tons of rice will be needed to feed the 122 thousand evacuees every day. Our supply is quite sufficient based on the market estimate for emergency response," she remarked.

The minister revealed that her office had also updated the data on evacuation centers, as the number of evacuees had continued to increase.

Head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center Kasbani said the likelihood of the volcano erupting was still high, as indicated by the signs that have emerged based on the results of the data captured at a monitoring post in Rendang, Karangasem.

"We cannot as yet ascertain when it might explode. Only God knows," he stated.

Kasbani stressed that each volcano had its own characteristics, so no correct forecast could be made, while Mount Agung has been inactive for the past 54 years. (*)

Editor: Vicha Faradika