Head of the BNPB, Suharyanto, said that so far, there are still residents in Boru village who are reluctant to evacuate from the disaster-prone area, even amid increased volcanic activity and level IV (alert) status.
“This mountain is no longer safe. All residents must evacuate the disaster-prone area. No one is allowed to return to their hometowns,” he said during a limited meeting with the East Flores district government, which was followed online from here on Saturday.
The agency is also pushing to accelerate the construction of phase III temporary housing so that all evacuees can be immediately relocated from emergency tents. Of the 100 planned temporary housing units, 68 have been completed.
The BNPB is targeting to shift all affected residents into the temporary housing by mid-August 2025 to avoid further risk from the volcanic activity.
Since the beginning of 2024, Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has been put on alert six times.
The 1,584-meter mountain is known to erupt explosively and has the potential for magmatic eruptions that produce lava flows and hot clouds.
The eruption on Friday was one of the largest this year, with the ash column reaching a height of 18 kilometers from the crater’s peak. It was followed by another eruption several hours later, with the ash column reaching as high as 10 kilometers.
The volcanic activity had a wide impact, reaching up to southern East Nusa Tenggara.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo, Katriana
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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