Image by Ben Tubby (source: Flickr)

While the Merapi volcano on the Indonesian island of Java is still active, a second volcano – Mount Bromo – erupted today, around 5:40 pm local time. Mount Bromo, a volcano located about 275 km (170 miles) east of Mount Merapi, spew dark grey ash cloud of half a kilometer (0,3 miles) into the air.

Although the Bromo volcano erupts at least once a year and although it currently does not pose a treat to the residents of the region surrounding it, Indonesian officials remain cautious as the Bromo volcano usually does not spew hot ash or debris.

Mount Merapi’s activity has decreased since it first started erupting on the 29^th of October. At least 322 people died due to the volcano’s eruption.

Image by DMahendra (source: Flickr)

Java’s Merapi volcano in Indonesia erupted again today. The latest eruption is stronger than the eruption from last Tuesday. There are currently no reports of casualties. The authorities evacuated more than 50.000 people in the last few days, fearing that the volcano’s activity is not about to end soon.

Image by Clearly Ambiguous (source: Flickr)

Last night the Merapi volcano on Java erupted again, killing at least 2.  This brings the death toll to 38  since the first eruption of the volcano earlier this week.

Last week alone, with the tsunami hitting the shores of several Indonesian islands and with the eruption of Merapi, at least 450 people were killed. 300 people are still missing in the regions where the tsunami reached Indonesia. Rescue workers are having a hard time to look for survivors due to bad weather conditions and lack of adequate equipment.

Image by David Rydevik (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Last Monday we reported an earthquake of 7,5 on the Richter scale hit south of Sumatra. Yesterday Java’s Merapi volcano erupted, killing 25 people. Then a tsunami hit the western part of Indonesia, killing at least 113 people, many more still reported missing.

Although the Indonesian authorities did alert the population on Monday for the dangers of a possible tsunami following the 7,5 magnitude earthquake, they revoked the alarm soon after. The tsunami eventually did reach the western part of Indonesia, with 3-meter high waves breaking on the shores of several islands. 400 homes where washed away in the process. Rescue teams are currently trying to reach the area, facing bad weather and aftershocks from the earthquake in their efforts to find the missing and help the injured.

Image by Fabian Bromann (source: Flickr)

Java’s Merapi volcano’s increased activity we told you about yesterday, resulted in three eruptions this morning, “spewing volcanic ash as high as 1.5 kilometers and searing heat clouds down the slopes”, according to local government volcanologist Surono.

Since the increased activity of the volcano, and especially after the first eruption this morning, evacuation of local population has begun. A perimeter of 10 kilometers around the crater of the Merapi volcano was set up, and close to 19.000 people where asked to leave the hills of the mountain.

Volcanologists predicted this eruption to be bigger than the 2006 eruption, and they were right. Already it is clear that the heat clouds and gas and ash produced by today’s eruptions are longer lasting and wider spread than the 7-minute eruption of 2006. Officials on site still find it hard to warn people against the dangers of an eruption, as many of them are still lingering on and not eager to leave. Even amongst the ones who already left, some returned to the mountain today to attend their cows, farms or crops.

Image by protectglasgow (source: Flickr)

Last Friday, one of the worlds most dangerous volcanoes, showed an increase in activity with hundreds of seismic quakes and dozens of lava eruptions. This weekend, the Indonesian authorities, started the evacuation of 40000 people living around the Merapi volcano.

The Merapi volcano is said to be one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes. Its last active burst dates from 2006, when 2 people died due to fume exposure. Before that, in 1994, 66 people died when the Java volcano erupted. But this is nothing compared to what happened in 1930. That year, close to 1400 people died because of Merapi’s eruption. But that’s not all. With just about 70 eruptions since the first recordings in 1548, Merapi is known to be the most active volcano on Java. Merapi means “mountain of fire” for a reason.

With this knowledge, authorities and rescuers alike are ready for the worst. Kilometer long lava streams are already coming down the mountain. According to some experts, the eruption Java is facing today could be bigger than the one from 2006, and closer to the disaster of 1930.

Lead image by protectglasgow (source: Flickr)

Citarum River c. 1920-1935, photo by Georg Friedrich Johannes Bley (source: Tropenmuseum)

The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia is one of the most toxic waterways in the world. The river is choked with industrial pollutants, garbage and sewage – yet some 30 million people depend on its waters. Villagers who live near the Citarum have no choice but to use the toxic river water for bathing and drinking. Though they boil it to kill bacteria before drinking, poisonous heavy metals and chemicals remain.

Scavenging for trash and recyclables has replaced the once plentiful fishing in parts of the river. Furthermore, extensive logging and farming are contributing to flood conditions in near its banks. If that wasn’t bad enough, the corrosive and muddy qualities of the Citarum’s water are damaging the turbines in Java’s largest power generator, a hydroelectric plant.

From a CNN Eco Solutions report:

But it’s not just the factories using the Citarum as a dumping ground; the community effectively uses it as an open sewer. As we walk through the village, children squat over canals and defecate directly into the water. Any garbage is thrown in the waterway or dumped on the side of the riverbank.

CNN – Indonesia’s dirty river

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is investing $500 million over the next 15 years in a project to clean up the Citarum and help its dependent communities.
Flooding of the river is currently affecting some 30,000 people in Karawang – west of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta – according to an article in the Jakarta Post.

For more information, check out this Al Jazeera English report on the crisis of untreated industrial effluent, domestic waste and soil erosion in and around the Citarum:

Al Jazeera English – Indonesia’s river or rubbish

by Graham Land

Additional resources:

Guardian (pictures) – Pollution in the Citarum river, Indonesia

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Lead image source: deputy-dog.com

Flooding in Bandung – photo by andhikanugraha (source: Flickr Creative Commons)

Several days of heavy rain in parts of Java – Indonesia’s main island – have resulted in deadly landslides killing 5 people, with at least 60 remaining buried under mud. Thousands of Indonesians have been made homeless due to recent flooding on Java.

The latest landslide happened on a tea plantation in a mountainous village in the Ciwidey district, near West Java’s capital city Bandung. According to the AFP the landslide occurred at 8 am local time. The village – named Tenjoljaya – is located about 90 miles (145 km) south of Jakarta.

The Red Cross said about 500 villagers who lost their homes have been evacuated to temporary shelters in neighboring villages.

–msnbc.com

The terrain is mountainous and local villagers only had farm tools and their bare hands to dig with. A Red Cross helicopter with digging equipment is being sent to the site on Wednesday.

Thousands of people have been forced out of their homes by flooding in Bandung and Jakarta over the past two weeks… Some parts of Bandung district have seen the worst flooding in eight years, inundating some 10,000 houses, according to state-run Antara news agency.

–AFP

Landslides are a major problem in Indonesia especially during monsoon season. Unrestrained development and extensive illegal logging are believed to exacerbate flooding and landslides because they disturb areas of natural drainage and rainwater collection.

by Graham Land

additional resources:

Can climate change affect natural disasters?