"The ash bursts are nothing unusual for Mount Dukono."Bandung (ANTARA News) - The National Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) has announced Mount Dukono in Halmahera, North Maluku, is still on level II alert.
"Because of the continuing volcanic activity, the level II alert is still there, but the ash bursts are nothing unusual for Mount Dukono," the agency`s chief, Surono, said here on Friday.
"The level II alert for Mount Dukono actually has been issued since June 2010, and the recent activity is not really significant," he explained.
Mount Dukono`s recent eruption, when it spewed volcanic ash into the sky, is one of its typical characteristics.
"If the volcano didn`t spew ash like that, then it would not be Mount Dukono," Surono said.
However, people have been urged to not go anywhere within a one-kilometer radius of the volcano`s crater. Residents have also been banned from entering the area.
"Such volcanic activities have also been seen in other volcanoes in the same region, such as Mount Ibu," Surono noted.
"PVMBG continues to monitor the volcano`s development from a nearby command post," he said.
The nearest residential area is nine kilometers away from the volcano and there are no other settlements nearby. "This means that the volcano`s activity does not threaten any residential area," Surono stated.
"Communities around the volcano have been asked to be calm and not to respond to any unofficial news about the volcanic activity. They should coordinate with the Dukono Volcano Monitoring Command Post and the local task force," he added.
(T.A050/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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