"We are going to build shelters for the victims of Mount Merapi`s cold lava flooding," Head of Sleman district, Sri Purnomo, said in response to the impacts of on-going cold lava disasters.
Speaking to newsmen here Saturday, he said the new shelters for the cold lava survivors would be constructed after all shelters for the victims of Mount Merapi`s 2010 eruptions had been finished.
"At the moment, the shelter constructions are prioritized for the Mount Merapi`s eruption survivors. For the victims of cold lava flooding, they will get shelters in the second phase," he said.
The first phase of shelter constructions (for the Mount Merapi`s eruption survivors) would have been finished by the end of March.
"After that, new shelters for the Mount Merapi`s cold lava victims will be built, he said adding that those living in the danger zones should meet the government`s regulations.
"If their residential areas are so vulnerable to natural disaster and no longer suitable for settlement, they are not allowed to build any house there for the sake of common interests," he said.
The Mt Merapi`s cold lava floods had hit Opak and Gendol rivers this week, forcing several hundred people to take refuge because the strong currents of flood waters had destroyed their houses.
The destroyed and damaged houses are located in two villages.
They are Morangan, Plumbon and Tambakan hamlets in Sindumartani village, Ngemplak subsdistrict, as well as Jaranan, Kliwang and Teplok hamlets in Argomulyo village, Cangkringan subdistrict, Sleman district, Yogyakarta province.
Among the displaced people permanently moved to the houses of their relatives and families because they had become homeless, some local residents said.
About the Mount Merapi`s cold lava floods, Head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) of Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry`s Geology Agency, Surono, said recently that they would remain a serious threat over the next four years.
"Volcanic materials from Mount Merapi`s 2010 eruptions are expected to reach 150 million cubic meters," he said last February.
According to Surono, the volcanic materials, which had flown into parts of Magelang had yet to reach one third of 150 million cubic meters of the emitted materials.
The cold lava flows would remain a concrete threat this year. Due to their huge volume, there was still enough cold lava on the mountain`s slopes that could at any time flow into rivers during the rainy seasons, he said.
Mount Merapi had erupted repeatedly last year but its most fatal eruptions occurred on October 26 and November 5, 2010.
As a result of the eruptions, at least 259 people had perished and many others sustained burns and became displaced.
Mount Merapi, on the border between two provinces, lies geographically close to Yogyakarta but is officially part of Central Java.
Besides killing and injuring several hundred people, eruptions had also damaged 867 hectares of forested land on the volcano`s slopes in Sleman District, Yogyakarta, with material losses estimated at Rp33 billion.
The damaged forested areas included the Merapi National Park, community forests and local people`s plantations.
Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, whose eruptions have been recorded from time to time since 1548.
(Uu.R013)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
