Indonesia Has 127 Active Volcanoes, 69 Under Monitoring

TheIndonesia.co - The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is committed to improving volcanic disaster mitigation services considering that Indonesia has 127 active volcanoes. Head of the Geological Agency, Eko Budi Lelono, said that his agency is monitoring 69 active volcanoes through 73 volcano security posts.

"We are committed to improving volcanic disaster mitigation services with the aim of realizing reduced casualties and damage to development outcomes," he said at the 2022 Volcano National Working Meeting in Jakarta, Thursday, February 3, 2022.

Lelono conveyed that although the area around the volcano is a disaster-prone area, it can be utilized for development by making several volcanic areas the target of national tourist destinations. The volcanic area is also used by local people for agricultural activities because it has fertile soil. These people are very vulnerable to volcanic eruptions threats.

"Past records show that several volcanic eruptions in Indonesia have claimed lives, have other impacts in the form of economic and social aspects disruption on the community, as well as damage to infrastructure and other development results," said Eko.

Lelono further explained that the Geological Agency has two of the four elements of early warning tasks namely monitoring and warning systems, as well as communication systems and information dissemination related to volcanoes. Both must collaborate with other ministries or institutions in order to obtain optimal results.

"The other two elements, namely the risk knowledge and the ability to respond to the community elements, are the collective task of the stakeholders," Lelono explained.

"Our early warning will not provide optimal results without collaborating with ministries or agencies, local governments, and the community," he added.