Scientists are concerned that Mount Merapi may cause widespread air pollution if it truly awakens.
Gases and ash clouds rising from the crater of Mount Merapi
The gases emitted from the volcano primarily consist of sulfur dioxide, which pollutes the air and can cause acid rain – stated a scientist from the Geological Institute, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
According to him, this pollution could affect an area with a radius of up to 100 kilometers. Therefore, this most active volcano in Indonesia, located in Central Java, could impact several provinces in the southern part of Vietnam if ash is released during strong southeast winds.
Merapi has shown signs of activity for about a month, but the increase in lava flow over the past few days has raised concerns about a potentially devastating eruption occurring soon.
“What officials are saying is that we are preparing for a larger eruption than what we are currently witnessing,” said volcanologist Catherine Hickson from Thompson Rivers University, Canada. The lava flow from the volcano can create a hot avalanche of ash, bubbles, rock fragments, and volcanic gases rushing down the slopes at speeds of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour.
Ratmodo Purbo, the head of the observation station at Merapi, told AP that 27 volcanic tremors were recorded on May 13. The volcano erupted at least 14 times throughout the day, and lava flowed out over an area of 1 mile (1.6 kilometers).
At an elevation of 2,900 meters, Merapi has been continuously active for decades. The eruption in 1994 resulted in at least 66 deaths, and the eruption in 1930 claimed 1,370 lives, according to NASA’s website. In January 1997, thousands of farmers were also evacuated as Merapi showed signs of activity just months before the Asian financial crisis.
Merapi is one of at least 129 volcanoes in Indonesia, part of the “Ring of Fire,” a chain of fault lines and volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
While the central government decided to allocate millions of USD for emergency efforts to evacuate 14,000 residents from the area around Mount Merapi, many farmers chose to return yesterday, Sunday, May 14.
Reuters reporters on the ground noted that those returning were primarily Muslim, the predominant religion in the 220 million population country. They fervently believe that this is the time when supernatural forces are manifesting atop Merapi, which is attracting the attention of scientists worldwide.
According to CNN, approximately 22,500 people need to be evacuated to crowded shelters that are three times over capacity, as experts predict a massive eruption from one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Indonesia.
Indonesian authorities ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents near Merapi on May 13, and the United Nations estimates that up to 80,000 people may need to leave their homes due to the eruption, depending on the direction of the lava flow.
