Ghufron Alwi, an officer at the Mount Semeru Observation Post, appealed to local residents to be aware of the threats of hot clouds, lava avalanches, and lahars along rivers connected to the peak of the volcano.
"People should be cautious of lahar streams along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat," he noted in a report received in Jakarta on Saturday.
He stated that in addition to eruption tremors, Mount Semeru experienced 16 avalanche tremors, 27 gust tremors, 13 harmonic quakes, three distant tectonic quakes, and one lava flood tremor on February 9.
The mountain also launched incandescent lava avalanches up to 300-500 meters toward Besuk Kobokan, he added.
Following Mount Semeru's intensified volcanic activities, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) has urged locals against conducting activities within a radius of 13 kilometers from the center of eruptions.
Beyond this distance, people are also not allowed to carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the river bank along Besuk Kobokan since it is prone to being affected by the expansion of hot clouds and lava flows up to a distance of 17 kilometers from the crater.
The PVMBG also urged the public to not venture within a five-kilometer radius of the peak of the volcano, as it is prone to volcanic incandescent stones.
In 2023, Mount Semeru ranked first among the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, with a total of 29,131 eruptions recorded.
The Mount Semeru volcano is monitored visually and instrumentally from two observation posts in Sumber Wuluh Village, Candipuro Sub-district, Lumajang District; and in Argosuko Village, Ampelgading Sub-district, Malang District.
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Translator: Sugiharto P, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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