Archive for November, 2007
BLITAR, Indonesia, Nov 12, 2007 (AFP) - Indonesian scientists Monday warned residents living on the slopes of a brewing volcano in East Java to keep their distance, after it spewed ash and lava despite a downgraded alert.
Authorities last Thursday modified a warning that Mount Kelut was about to erupt, after it appeared that the volcano was only experiencing a slow eruption and was unlikely to explode.
Volcanic activity is still high, however, with tremors continuing and a lava dome, created by lava oozing through cracks, emerging from the crater like an “island” and continuing to expand.
“Lava is constantly shooting out of the crater. We recommend people keep a distance since there is always the danger of lava material catapulting far from the crater,” volcanologist Agus Budianto told AFP.
“Amazing visuals can be seen from our CCTV (closed-circuit television)… The island is now 250 metres (yards) in diameter and stands 120 metres above the lake surface,” he added.
Residents are being warned to stay at least three kilometres (two miles) from the crater. The danger zone was a 10-kilometre radius around the crater when the volcano was on its top alert, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people who have since returned home.
Smoke plumed up to two kilometres out of Mount Kelut on Sunday afternoon and ash covered a number of villages around the volcano.
“We have not made our own observations, but we heard reports of ash rain in several surrounding villages,” volcanologist Jajang said from a monitoring post near the nearby town of Kediri.
Several volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide, have roared to life in recent weeks.
The archipelagic nation is home to about 130 active volcanoes, including 21 on Java.
str-nsh/sb/msl
Source: http://www.reliefweb.int/
November 13th, 2007
SURABAYA - Warga Surabaya tadi malam berpesta. Puluhan ribu massa tumplek-blek di areal Tugu Pahlawan dan jalan-jalan di sekitarnya.
Mereka tak ingin ketinggalan menyaksikan konser akbar bertajuk Simfoni untuk Bangsa yang diadakan Pemkot Surabaya bekerjasama dengan PT Djarum. Ajang yang diadakan untuk menyambut Hari Pahlawan itu menampilkan sederet artis dan musisi kondang Tanah Air.
Mereka adalah Ian Antono dan Achmad Albar, Iwa K, Drive Band, Ungu, Butet Kertaredjasa, Djaduk Ferianto dan Kua Etnika, serta musisi asal Kota Pahlawan Piyu dan Ari Lasso.
Selain membawakan lagu-lagu dari album mereka sendiri, para juga dilantunkan lagu bertema kepahlawanan. Seperti kolaborasi antara Drive Band dan Piyu yang membawakan lagu Indonesia Pusaka.
Untuk mengantisipasi massa yang terus menyemut dan keruwetan lalu-lintas, polisi melakukan sejumlah rekayasa jalur. Sebelum acara dimulai pada pukul 20.00, kendaraan masih diperbolehkan melintasi jalan sekitar Tugu Pahlawan. Misalnya, Jalan Tembaan dan Kebon Rojo, meski hanya dua jalur. Sementara Jalan Pahlawan depan Kantor Gubernur sudah ditutup sejak sore, karena digunakan untuk parkir kendaraan.
Sekitar pukul 19.00, massa terus menyemut menuju satu titik, Tugu Pahlawan. Terpaksa, polisi menutup sejumlah jalan akses menuju tempat bersejarah itu. Salah satunya adalah mengalihkan kendaraan di Jalan Bubutan ke Jalan Raden Saleh. Hanya satu jam setelah acara dimulai, kompleks Tugu Pahlawan telah penuh sesak, dan meluber sampai ke jalan-jalan yang mengelilingi bangunan trade mark Kota Surabaya tersebut. “Ini adalah konser besar-besaran, dan hanya setahun sekali. Jadi tidak boleh dilewatkan,” kata Riza Alaudin, warga Ketintang, salah seorang penonton konser tersebut.(nar)Ă‚Â
Source: Jawa Pos Online
November 12th, 2007
SURABAYA - Kalimas yang membelah kota Surabaya sejatinya adalah gudang bagi geliat ekonomi dan wahana rekreasi masyarakat Surabaya. Keberadaan Kalimas bisa dijadikan wahana melepas penat dan menyalurkan hobi.
Seperti yang terlihat di sepanjang aliran sungai Kalimas yang berada tepat di tengah kota yang melintasi Jalan Ketabang Kali sampai ke bendungan Gubeng. Banyak warga yang memanfaatkan sungai itu untuk memancing, apalagi pada hari libur seperti kemarin. Area yang kerap dijadikan jujugan para pemancing di Kalimas adalah jembatan di belakang gedung WTC, pinggir kali jalan Gubeng Pojok, dan jembatan dekat Dam Gubeng.
Sayang, Kalimas masih menyisakan sejumlah permasalahan. Diantaranya adalah pencemaran limbah-limbah industri dari pabrik di sepanjang alirannya. Puncaknya terjadi beberapa waktu lalu ketika air PDAM mengalami pencemaran parah yang meresahkan pelanggannya. (nar)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
November 12th, 2007
Authorities have downgraded the alert level on Indonesia’s Mount Kelud, saying the volcano was showing a decline in activity after weeks of warning that it was on the verge of a major eruption.
The unpredictability of the volcano however means it will remain on the second highest alert level.
Local officials are now allowing residents to return to their homes along the slopes of the mountain in East Java.
The revised status comes two days after experts warned of an imminent eruption as a magma dome formed under Mount Kelud’s crater lake, causing boiling water to spill down its sides.
Soaring temperatures in the lake also damaged monitoring equipment used to gauge activity on the mountain.
Volcano scientists on Thursday said the alert status was lowered after the volcano showed “less intense activity” as it no longer had the energy needed for an explosive eruption.
Umar Rosadi, a member of the monitoring team, however warned that “a sudden increase” in volcanic activity was still possible.
“People must be ready to be evacuated again,” he said.
Mount Kelud was on maximum alert three weeks ago. Tens of thousands of villagers were moved to government shelters outside the danger zone near the 1,731-metre peak, but any had ignored the warnings and stayed home.
The volcano has a deadly history of killing at least 30 people in its most recent eruption in 1990. About 5,000 people died when it erupted in 1919, spewing boiling water from its crater lake.
Indonesia has the highest number of active volcanoes in the world, sitting on an active seismic belt known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire”.
Source: http://mwcnews.net/
November 9th, 2007
SURABAYA - Masjid Cheng Hoo Surabaya kemarin (7/11) kedatangan tamu istimewa. Tamu berjumlah 16 orang itu datang dari Provinsi Guangdong, RRT (Republik Rakyat Tiongkok). Mereka dipimpin Wu Rui Cheng, kepala Kantor Urusan Luar Negeri Provinsi Guangdong.
Para tamu yang mengendarai tiga minibus tersebut tiba di masjid yang berada di Jalan Gading itu pukul 15.15 dan diterima pengurus Yayasan Haji Muhammad Cheng Hoo Indonesia (YHMCI).
“Rombongan dari Tiongkok sekadar berkunjung dan melihat bangunan Masjid Cheng Hoo. Tidak ada agenda khusus yang dibicarakan antara kami dan pihak Guangdong,” terang Humas Masjid Cheng Hoo Unang Angkawidjaja.
Unang mengatakan, selain bertandang ke masjid yang baru berulang tahun ke-5 itu, rombongan dari Guangdong juga mendatangi Kantor PT Maspion serta Shincung High School, kawasan Mulyosari. Setelah berfoto bersama jajaran pengurus YHMCI dan mengabadikan bangunan masjid berarsitektur Tiongkok itu, rombongan meninggalkan Masjid Cheng Hoo sekitar pukul 15.45.
Meski belum ada agenda khusus yang dibahas, Unang mengatakan, YHMCI berencana melakukan kunjungan balasan ke Tiongkok awal tahun depan. Salah satu kota yang akan mereka singgahi adalah Guangdong. “Kami tahun depan akan terbang ke Tiongkok dengan membawa para kiai dari sini. Tujuannya, mengabarkan perkembangan Islam di Indonesia, sekaligus mengadakan kerja sama budaya,” jelasnya.
Masjid Cheng Hoo kini termasuk tujuan wisata kota yang banyak dikunjungi wisatawan domestik maupun asing. Buktinya, 30 menit sebelum rombongan dari Tiongkok datang, 10 orang rombongan dari Taiwan juga melihat keindahan masjid yang didominasi warna merah keemasan itu.
Bentuknya yang tak lazim merupakan daya tarik tersendiri bagi wisatawan. Selain sebagai tempat tujuan wisata, Masjid Cheng Hoo juga menjadi pusat syiar Islam Pembina Iman Tauhid Islam (PITI) Surabaya. (nar)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
November 9th, 2007
BLITAR, Indonesia (AFP) — Thousands of Indonesians living around the slopes of a steaming volcano began returning home Thursday after authorities downgraded a warning that it was about to erupt, officials said.
Indonesia’s volcanology office advised that Mount Kelut no longer appeared poised for an imminent eruption, saying that the historically deadly peak in heavily-populated East Java had released most of its energy.
“The energy that has accumulated since 11 September, 2007 has mostly been spent in an effusive eruption process and has continuously been used in the forming of a lava dome,” the office said in a statement.
New lava has oozed through cracks in the volcano to create a dome rising out of its crater lake, displacing most of the water inside.
Kelut was put on top alert on October 16 after continuous tremors indicated an eruption was in process.
The volcano’s activities, however, have been limited to spewing steam and other gases while the new dome formed, though a spike in tremors last Saturday caused volcanologists to flee their posts as they mistakenly thought a fully-fledged eruption was taking place.
The volcanology office said that residents could return to their homes, but it called on them to remain alert and be prepared to leave should the 1,731-metre (5,679-foot) volcano show renewed dangerous activity.
Noxious gases still being emitted from the crater and a possible eruption involving sludge from the crater lake flowing down the slopes meant that a radius of three kilometres (two miles) should remain off-limits, it added.
Military trucks ferried residents — many of whom were begrudgingly evacuated — from shelters back to their homes, an AFP correspondent said.
“I told you that Kelut wouldn’t erupt. They forced me to evacuate and I’ve had an uncomfortable time in the shelter,” 78-year-old clove farmer Tejo complained to AFP.
According to health ministry figures, about 134,000 people live in a 10-kilometre radius of the peak, which was declared a danger zone during the intensified activity at the volcano.
Kelut explosively erupted in 1990, sending searing gases and volcanic debris shooting down its slopes that killed 34, after authorities downgraded a similar alert. But volcanologist Agus Budianto said that the volcano’s condition then was totally different.
“We have downgraded Kelut’s alert status after it has erupted in an effusive way, meaning that all the energy accumulated since the volcano was put on top alert has already been released,” he explained.
Mount Kelut’s eruptions have claimed more than 15,000 lives, including an estimated 10,000 in a catastrophic 1586 eruption. A 1919 eruption spewed heat clouds that killed 5,160 people.
The volcano is located about 90 kilometres southwest of Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city.
Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where several continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Source: http://afp.google.com/
November 8th, 2007
BLITAR, Indonesia (AFP) — An island that has emerged in the middle of the crater lake of Indonesia’s Mount Kelut may have been effectively plugging the volcano but it could be dislodged, scientists warned Tuesday.
The peak in East Java, whose fertile slopes are populated by thousands of people, was put on high alert on October 16 but has not fully erupted, puzzling scientists who say it is impossible to predict what may happen next.
“The island was visually captured by our CCTV (closed-circuit television) on Sunday, with smoke now pluming up to one kilometre (half a mile) from it,” volcanologist Saut Simatupang told AFP.
He estimated that the 100-metre (-yard) long island loomed 20 metres above the surface of the crater lake. The temperature of the lake has soared so high it has broken measuring instruments, he said.
“We still cannot determine whether (the island) is new product or old lava from the 1990 eruption that had solidified at the bottom of the crater lake,” more or less acting as a cork, he said.
It appeared to have been pushed up Saturday night, when volcanologists mistakenly thought an eruption was occurring so they abandoned their posts.
Overnight, continuous tremors shuddered underneath Kelut, with dozens of puffs of steam or smoke shooting into the air, Simatupang said.
“We are not taking a chance yet to get closer to study the volcano, although we think it is mostly steam coming out,” said Simatupang.
“This could go on or it could be that the volcano is keeping its energy for a bigger eruption.”
The head of Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency, Surono, told President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that Kelut appeared to have altered its normal eruptive behaviour.
“There seems to be a change in the volcano’s character, from historical explosive eruptions to an effusive or slow eruption,” he said during a phone call broadcast on ElShinta radio.
“Is it possible that there will be an eruption (given the change), or can we still not have an accurate prediction?” Yudhoyono asked.
“There is a very small probability that there will be an explosive eruption, but I am still doing more evaluation with my colleagues,” Surono replied.
Authorities have been trying to evacuate people living in a 10-kilometre danger zone around the volcano’s peak but many have refused to leave or they return to their homes during daylight hours.
Residents said they were defying a police threat to jail them if they stayed.
“I’m not afraid… If they want to put me in jail, just go ahead,” said Kandi, a 56-year-old clove farmer from Bladak village, eight kilometres from the peak.
The district police chief, Ibnu Istica, told AFP that police were telling people about a new law — that has yet to come in effect — under which people could be jailed for up to three years for refusing evacuation orders.
Since record-keeping began, Mount Kelut’s eruptions have claimed more than 15,000 lives, including an estimated 10,000 in a catastrophic 1586 eruption. A 1919 eruption spewed heat clouds that killed 5,160 people.
Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where several continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Source: http://afp.google.com/
November 8th, 2007
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Blitar
There are many tourist attractions in Blitar, a city located right at the foot of Mount Kelud, and 167 kilometers from the East Java capital of Surabaya city, so it would be a pity if you miss it.
Apart from the grave of Indonesia’s first president Soekarno, visitors can see a tourism village that sells jimbe drums, a product of Blitar’s home industries that are successfully breaking into export markets.
It is better if you cancel any planned tour to Mount Kelud, located on the border between Kediri and Blitar regencies. This is because the volcano’s status is on high alert; the famous green lake in the caldera, a major attraction, has been closed to tourists.
As of Wednesday, the Geology Disaster Mitigation and Volcanic Center, which is located in Bandung, had kept the status of Mount Kelud at level four alert, meaning great care must be taken.
But do not worry because visitors have the choice of many attractions in Blitar city, including religious centers, historical sites and also a place to shop for handicrafts, particularly the special products of the Blitar community.
In Blitar city there is the grave of Bung (brother) Karno, as the first president was widely known. This grave is seldom short of visitors. Many take a tour wanting to know more of this carver of the nation’s history; others who believe in the supernatural perform rituals in the area surrounding Bung Karno’s grave.
After visiting president Soekarno’s grave you can enter the Bung Karno library. This library was built on 1.5 hectares in the political administrative district of Bendogerit, in the subdistrict of Sananwetan. The place is around 500 meters from Bung Karno’s grave.
In the library you can read books from the collection, including Bung Karno the People’s Voice by Cindy Adams, Bung Karno Menangis dan Mendesak (Bung Karno Weeping and Urging) by Agus Pakpahan, Riwayat dan Perjuangan Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia 17 Agustus 1945 (A Narrative on the Struggle to Proclaim the Independence of Indonesia 17 August 1945) by Adam Malik and others.
You can also see a three-meter-high statue of Bung Karno. It is located in the middle of the first floor of the A building. A wall relief sculpture depicts the life journey of Bung Karno, from his youth through to the struggle for independence and old age.
If you are interested in the architecture of the Majapahit era, the famous Hindu Kingdom which had enormous influence because it dominated a big part of the Indonesian archipelago through to the Malay peninsula, examples can be seen in the Penataran Temple. This is situated approximately 13 kilometers from the Bung Karno library.
Some people believe that the temple, which is located on the south-west slope of Mount Kelud in Penataran village, Nglegok subdistrict, protects Blitar when Mount Kelud erupts. The location is around 15 kilometers from Mount Kelud.
“In the past this temple was often used by the Hindu community in Blitar and Kediri for praying. But later the temple became a tourist attraction and we can no longer pray in the temple complex,” said Suyoto, the head of Palisade Hindu Dharma Indonesia, Arum subdistrict, Blitar.
But, said Suyoto, more than 1,000 Hindus did not object because they can pray in Pura, which is in Blitar.
“I believe that in Blitar there are hundreds of other Hindu temples that have yet to be found. Not far from the Penataran Temple complex is a village called Sewu Temple. According to my ancestors, that area has many Hindu temples which were buried by ash following the eruptions of Mount Kelud,” he said.
The Penataran Temple was built in the era of Kertajaya, the king of the Majapahit Kingdom in 1197, as an offering to Sira Paduka Bhatara Palah. The Panataran Temple was discovered in 1815 by Englishman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), the lieutenant governor general who administered the then Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816.
Raffles together with Dr Horsfield, a scientist, visited the Penataran Temple. The result of their visit was reported in The History of Java, which was published in two volumes.
Raffles’ steps were later followed by other researchers namely J. Crawfurd, then Van Meeteren Brouwer (1828), Junghun (1884), Jonathan Rigg (1848) and N.W.Hoepermans, who in 1886 made an inventory of the Penataran Temple complex.
Before you leave Blitar city don’t forget to buy souvenirs, like jimbe drums the product of Blitar’s home industries. You can buy drums in the tourist village of Tanggungsantren in Blitar regency, with prices starting from Rp 5,000 (about US 50 cents) up to Rp 500,000 (US$54).
“Our products are of international quality because they are mostly exported to countries in Africa like Tunisia, to Europe, Australia and the United States,” said the Romdhani, the head of the Timber Manufacturers’ Group.
“We started making jimbe drums just five years ago. Before that we made many traditional toys using mahogany, such as yo-yos and catapults. But because buyers lost interest in the traditional toys we finally started producing drums,” he said.
Ramdhani said that the jimbe name was taken because many overseas visitors called the drum a jimbe after the skin-covered hand drums from West Africa known as djembe. Finally manufacturers used the name jimbe drum to mark it as a Blitar specialty.
Now there are 30 home industries making jimbe drums.
“We try to substitute mahogany with nangka (jackfruit tree) timber because supplies of mahogany are getting scarce in the forest. Many mahogany trees are small and not ready for felling,” said Romdhani.
“We keep increasing the quality by decorating parts of the drum, including using motifs of Australian Aboriginal tribes. We want to satisfy customers so buyers will continue to patronize Blitar’s home industry handicrafts,” he said.
What a pity that after offering jimbe drums, Blitar doesn’t provide any special local culinary delight, like Kediri does with its tofu or Yogyakarta with its bakpia, (a dry cake made from flour). However the food in Blitar is cheaper when compared to Surabaya.
Source: The Jakarta Post
November 7th, 2007
By Jakarta correspondent Geoff Thompson
East Java’s Mount Kelud volcano is continuing to show signs it could erupt at any moment, as nearby residents ignore warnings to stay away from the area.
Scientists are worried and baffled by the fact that Mt Kelud has not exploded despite its crater lake reaching temperatures four times higher than the last time it erupted in 1990.
Instead, an island-like crust has formed, permitting a slower release of pressure.
“This could go on, or it could be that the volcano is keeping its energy for a bigger eruption,” vulcanologist Saut Simatupang warns.
The uncertainty is making it harder to persuade evacuated residents against returning to their property.
Mt Kelud’s past eruptions have killed at least 15,000 people.
Source: http://abc.net.au/news
November 7th, 2007
JAKARTA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) — Rumbling Mount. Kelud in densely populated areas of East Java province have spewed dangerous clouds of white smoke, containing CO2 gas and other poisoning gas, senior official of monitoring posts of Mount. Kelud Umar Rosadi said on Monday.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â The shot of the hot smoke reached up to 800 meters into the sky, while tremors whose intensity had decreased began to rise on Monday, said the official.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Rosadi said it could be dangerous if wind blows and carries smoke to the residential areas.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â ”If the smoke is breathed in, it could be dangerous, because it contains CO2 gas and other gasses,” he told Xinhua over telephone from the monitoring post near the mountain.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Although most of the residents in dangerous zone on the slope of the mountain had already been evacuated, the official said that the wind may blow the smoke far away.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â All thousands of residents in the six-kilometer dangerous zone had been evacuated since the volcano has been on the top alert status last month.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Rosadi, who is also a head of emergency management of Mount, Kelud activity, predicted that the crater temperature could soar.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â ”The instrument recording the temperature was broken on Sunday due to high pressure. The latest temperature recorded was 77.2 degree Celsius,” he said.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â He said that the authorities predicted three possibilities could happen in the next time, including the worse is a huge explosion that spew a large amount of materials from inside the mountain, or an explosion that only exited material at the surface of the volcano or the abortion of possible explosion.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â ”Should the supply of energy from inside of the volcano persistently accumulated and the exiting of the energy from the crater could not make a balance, a huge explosion spewing all materials could occur, he said.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â But, Rosadi said that if the spewing of smoke could prevent the accumulation of energy, and it could be balanced, the volcano will not erupt.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Over 10,000 people were killed when the mountain exploded in 1586.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â The mountain also erupted in 1901, 1919, 1951, 1966 and 1990.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Mount. Kelud is part of the country’s 129 active volcanoes, of which 66 of them are located in high-density population areas, Java and Sumatra islands, according to the country’s meteorology agency.
Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Ă‚Â Indonesia is laid at a vulnerable zone so called “the Pacific Ring of Fire”" where two continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic movements.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/
November 6th, 2007
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