"Four deep volcanic tremors and three shallow ones have been registered today," Head of the Information Data Center of BNPB Sutop Purwo Nugroho said here on Tuesday.
He said that the weather around the volcano was now bright and the wind was blowing eastward in a modest speed.
"A white column of thick clouds some 40 to 100 meters from Timbang crater was seen from Searang hamlet which is located some 1.2 km to the west of Timbang crater," Sutopo said.
He said that the relevant authorities had recommended that local residents stayed away from their activities within a 1,000 meter radius from Timbang crater.
"We have told the local people that they should not enter the danger zone, within some 1,000 meter radius from the crater," he said.
Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono said he had continued to monitor the volcanic activities of Mount Dieng in Central Java.
"I have asked the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Center and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to keep on reporting the volcano`s developments," the minister said.
The status of Timbang crater has been raised from `beware` to alert level following increased volcanic tremors last week.
It was reported last Friday that the crater spewed a 50 meter cloud of smoke, a volcano monitoring post official said.
"Based on our observation from the Dieng Volcano Observation Post (PGA), the column of smoke was seen moving northwards," Andri Sulistyo of the monitoring post said.
He said that the weather around the crater looked bright and no toxic gashes were detected in a distance of 1,000 meters to the south.
However, he said, the waft of sulfur was smelled, sometimes smelled strong and sometimes weak.
But the local residents around Timbang crater remained calm. They were still staying in their homes. No evacuation has been made to a prepared location, Andri said.
Sutopo Purwo Nuroho said last week the alert status of Dieng had been raised so that residents should not carry out activities within a one kilometer radius from Timbang crater.
BNPB Chief Syamsul Maarif has ordered the Central Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and the Banjarnegara BPBD to take anticipatory steps.
The quick response team of the BNPB left for Banjarnegara last weekend to coordinate with the BPBD to prepare the necessary steps.
Since Wednesday, thick white toxic gases have been released as far as 50 to 500 meters from Timbang crater to southern direction.
"The sulfur could be smelt from a distance of 1,000 meters from the crater," he said.
In 1979, carbon dioxide from Timbang crater, one of the most active among the volcano`s six craters, killed 149 people. During the rainy season, the greenhouse gas stays close to the surface of the earth, making it deadlier.
Dieng Plateau, where the volcano is located, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Central Java.
The area is the site of eight small Hindu temples dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries. It also draws tourists because of its sulfur lakes.
(SYS/A014/B003)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
