Pasuruan (Antara Bali) - Residents dwelling around Mount Bromo, East Java , are still staying in their neighborhoods instead of moving to safer places as the mount's increased its status to 'beware' since Tuesday (November 23).
People who reside in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) believed that the situation in the area is still secure as the volcano lays amid a vast plain called the Sand Sea, whereas their homes are located behind the caldera wall.
The locals are still doing their daily activities in their farms albeit the closest residential area and the farms to Mount Bromo are located around 10 kilometers from the peak of the volcano.
The residents had already been noticed and were aware that the activity of Mount Bromo was increasing, the chief of Wonokitri Village, Aidarmiwati said here Wednesday.
The status of the volcano was raised from 'standby' on Tuesday morning to 'beware' on Tuesday evening, he said adding that the information of the increased status was familiarized by the Tosari Sub-district head to the residents.
Wonokitri Village, has 2,989 residents or 711 families, was the closest village from the mount which was located around 14 kilometers from the peak, Aidarmiwati said.
The other villages which are close enough to the volcano are Ngadisari and Cemorolawang villages of Probolinggo District.
However, the two villages lay protected behind the caldera wall and hills, whereas Mount Bromo which is spewing fumes located amid the sand sea. Therefore, the fumes spewed by the volcano and drifted by the wind cannot reach the villages.
The wind direction was currently reported to head west of which there is no residential area on the west of the volcano.
The rising volcano activity status affected the tourism sector in the region.
The number of tourists visiting Mount Bromo is decreasing sharply.
An owner of a touring jeep in Wonokitri Village, Landra said that the number of tourists visiting Mount Bromo had been decreasing drastically since a month after the volcano's status had been raised.
Every jeep owner could escort and give rides to visitors at least twice a week in a normal situation. However, they could only do services for only two sessions in the last one month due to the raised status of the volcano, Landra said.
There are 132 tourism jeeps joined in the tourism jeep community in Tosari Sub-district. Each vehicle could escort and carry six tourist as its maximum capacity.
The jeeps serve a shuttle service at a cost of 300,000 rupiah and will take the tourists to the panorama of Mount Bromo and the sunrise viewed from the peak of the volcano and also to have a ride through the sea of sand.
However, no one is allowed to come near the volcano more than one kilometer radius as the volcanic activity is increasing.
The secure radius was then extended to four kilometers from the peak as the Mount Bromo's status had been raised to 'beware'.(*)
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2010
People who reside in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) believed that the situation in the area is still secure as the volcano lays amid a vast plain called the Sand Sea, whereas their homes are located behind the caldera wall.
The locals are still doing their daily activities in their farms albeit the closest residential area and the farms to Mount Bromo are located around 10 kilometers from the peak of the volcano.
The residents had already been noticed and were aware that the activity of Mount Bromo was increasing, the chief of Wonokitri Village, Aidarmiwati said here Wednesday.
The status of the volcano was raised from 'standby' on Tuesday morning to 'beware' on Tuesday evening, he said adding that the information of the increased status was familiarized by the Tosari Sub-district head to the residents.
Wonokitri Village, has 2,989 residents or 711 families, was the closest village from the mount which was located around 14 kilometers from the peak, Aidarmiwati said.
The other villages which are close enough to the volcano are Ngadisari and Cemorolawang villages of Probolinggo District.
However, the two villages lay protected behind the caldera wall and hills, whereas Mount Bromo which is spewing fumes located amid the sand sea. Therefore, the fumes spewed by the volcano and drifted by the wind cannot reach the villages.
The wind direction was currently reported to head west of which there is no residential area on the west of the volcano.
The rising volcano activity status affected the tourism sector in the region.
The number of tourists visiting Mount Bromo is decreasing sharply.
An owner of a touring jeep in Wonokitri Village, Landra said that the number of tourists visiting Mount Bromo had been decreasing drastically since a month after the volcano's status had been raised.
Every jeep owner could escort and give rides to visitors at least twice a week in a normal situation. However, they could only do services for only two sessions in the last one month due to the raised status of the volcano, Landra said.
There are 132 tourism jeeps joined in the tourism jeep community in Tosari Sub-district. Each vehicle could escort and carry six tourist as its maximum capacity.
The jeeps serve a shuttle service at a cost of 300,000 rupiah and will take the tourists to the panorama of Mount Bromo and the sunrise viewed from the peak of the volcano and also to have a ride through the sea of sand.
However, no one is allowed to come near the volcano more than one kilometer radius as the volcanic activity is increasing.
The secure radius was then extended to four kilometers from the peak as the Mount Bromo's status had been raised to 'beware'.(*)
Editor : Masuki
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2010