VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Lava avalanches from the summit of Mt Merapi viewed from Turi, Sleman District of Yogyakarta on April 25, 2021. ANTARA PHOTO/Hendra Nurdiyansyah/wsj - 

Volcanic activity at Mount Merapi, straddling Central Java and Yogyakarta, remained high, according to the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center’s (BPPTKG's) monitoring from April 30 to May 6.

"Volcanic activity at Mt Merapi remains high, with effusive eruption. The volcano's status remained at siaga (watch)," BPPTKG Head Hanik Humaida noted in a statement here on Saturday.

According to the monitoring, Humaida remarked that the monitoring found Merapi to have emitted searing clouds 12 times that drifted nearly two thousand meters to the southwest.

Incandescent avalanches were recorded 74 times up to a distance of two thousand meters to the southwest and twice to a distance of 600 meters to the southeast, Humaida revealed.

"Seismic intensity this week has increased as compared to that of last week," she added.According to the agency, the volume of Merapi's two lava domes had continued to increase at a rate of 17 thousand cubic meters per day, and currently, the volume had reached 1.7 million cubic meters.

According to photo analysis, volume of the lava dome in the southwest had reached 1.1 million cubic meters, and growth rate was recorded at 17 thousand cubic meters per day.

The volcano's deformation, monitored through EDM and GPS this week, did not show abridgement of 0.6 cm per day. "There is no report on the lava and increased currents of the rivers that upstream in Merapi," she stated.

The BPPTKG has maintained the volcano's status at siaga (watch), or level 3 of Indonesia’s four-tiered alert system.

The authority has urged residents to remain vigilant of the potential for lava avalanches and hot clouds arising from the volcano in the southwest region covering the Kuning River, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih.

Mount Merapi’s eruption could launch volcanic material to as far as three kilometers away from the summit//CNA