"The data has been collected, and today, some evacuees have been returned to the various villages in Karangasem district," Head of Regional Disaster Management Agency of Klungkung I Putu Widiada said at GOR Sweca Pura in Klungkung district, Friday.
The number of evacuees whose homes are located in the safe zone is 1,794, who are spread over 43 villages, having 122 evacuee points in the district.
Previously, the total evacuees in Klungkung district reached about 20,227 inhabitants.
"So the total evacuees who are still surviving in the shelters are around 18,443 people," he stated.
He explained that the return of evacuees to their homes was done based on a regulation that stated the evacuees could return to their homes in the safe zone.
However, the local government continued to receive the evacuees whose homes were in the safe zone and who wanted to remain in the evacuees shelters.
He said that his party had not forced evacuees to stay in the shelters or return to their homes.
"There is no compulsion, because if the evacuees want to stay in the shelters, they are allowed to do so. There is no compulsion to return the evacuees to Karangasem district," he remarked.
Meanwhile, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) stated the seismic activities of Mount Agung were still at a high level. Earthquakes in a day range from 600-700 times on an average. It indicates that the highest mount in Bali is still likely to erupt.
PVMBG has established a safe zone outside the 12-kilometer radius of the mount. A radius of six kilometers from the crater of Mount Agung is disaster-prone area I, a radius of nine kilometers from the mount is disaster-prone area II and a radius of 12 kilometers from the mount is disaster-prone area III.
On the other hand, based on the latest data, the National Disaster Management Agency recorded the number of evacuees had reached 150,109 people, spread over 420 points in nine districts and cities in the Bali province.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
