"This is the only way that it has to be done. We are coordinating with the local police," BNPB Head Suharyanto stated in a press conference on handling the impact of the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki which was followed online from Jakarta on Thursday.
According to Suharyanto, implementation of the open-close scheme is a short-term plan carried out if a significant eruption occurs.
For the longer term, officials will propose relocating the affected road segment to a safer location - a recommendation that will be addressed during an upcoming ministerial-level meeting.
A team of experts from BNPB and the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry found that the connecting road between Flores and Sikka lies within the eruption danger zone of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki.
The eruption danger zone of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki has a radius of less than seven kilometers from the opening of its crater.
"It was built there, of course, because Mount Lewotobi has not erupted for the past 22 years, and in addition to the road, there are also residential areas," he pointed out.
He emphasized that the basis for the consideration is the community's safety which should be prioritized.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo, Cindy Frishanti Octa
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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