Mount Agung, ‘Mentor’ for All
I Nyoman Pasek, 60, looked excited to welcome his neighbors return to their village on Saturday (7/10). After two weeks of living apart in evacuation camps, the residents of Hyang Api, Muncan village, Selat district, Karangasem, Bali, were back to live together.
“Did you just arrive?” asked Pasek.
“Yes. We evacuated to Banjar Lebah, Semarapura Kaja,” said Nyoman Tirta, 54, one evacuee.
Pasek returned from the evacuation center two days ago, but he was still frightened. For the past two weeks, he has felt insecure.
After staying mostly dormant for years, dozens of seismic tremors took place in mid-September.
Pasek’s worry increased when Mount Agung was given a high alert status on Sept. 22. He stayed in his house for four days.
Having no knowledge of volcanoes, Pasek felt stress. He still feels the tremors. Ironically, he felt the same thing 54 years ago in 1963. Still, he has limited knowledge of Mount Agung.
Pasek was traumatized. He has never attended any training about natural disasters. The farmer was not even aware that his house was in the danger zone, or within a 9 to 12-kilometer radius from the crater.
At the evacuation center, he received a bit more information about volcanoes. At least he knew his house was now in the safe zone. He accepted an offer to return home.
“I did not take lessons after the 1963 eruption because I am poor. As a result, I am illiterate,” Pasek said.
He joined a group of Balinese residents who transmigrated to Lampung after the 1963 eruption. They traveled by ship and train. However, a hard life in the new province forced Pasek to return to Bali 10 years later. His life was bitter because he never attended school. He has made a living either as a farmer or a construction worker his whole life.
I Nyoman Tirta has had a similar experience. The seismic activity of Mount Agung provided lessons. Only 2 months old when Mount Agung erupted in 1963, he only heard stories about the eruption from others.
“At the evacuation camps, I learn. My house may only get volcanic ash. Still, I must stay cautious,” said the farm worker, who earns Rp 50,000 (US$3.70) per day.
Tirta’s wife, Ni Ketut Tunas, 54, added: “Frankly, I learned about the danger zone at the evacuation center. We were told about the importance of wearing long sleeves, a mask and to stay inside if there is volcanic ash.”
New lesson
However, this time, Mount Agung did not only provide a lesson to the nearby residents. Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards Mitigation (PVMBG) researchers are also learning. Amid limited data about the former eruption, they are facing a big test.
Old reports about Mount Agung did not provide much help. Not much is known. The monitoring post of Mount Agung in Rendang district, Karangasem, was built a year after the eruption in 1963.
Issues regarding the monitoring equipment for Mount Agung also arose. Three of the nine seismograph transmitters placed new Mount Agung and Mount Batur did not work. PVMBG brought in additional equipment to optimize the monitoring activities, such as three seismometers, two cameras and two tilt meters.
Lastly, on Oct. 10, in order to strengthen the monitoring activity, PVMBG collaborated with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to monitor the crater using drones, although the outcome was not sufficient.
Mount Agung also taught the Bali provincial administration about the way to deal with evacuees, who went back and forth to their homes to feed their cattle. The changes of the danger zone with minimum awareness among residents have made them unwilling to evacuate. This resulted in unexpected numbers of evacuees, far higher than the early calculation.
The mismatched data was known only three weeks after the alert status was issued. From the early estimation of 70,000 evacuees, the number increased and potentially reached 185,865 people from 54,788 households.
Pasek still did not feel assured. He was worried because Mount Agung was still at high alert status. Pasek had to adjust his schedule, going to sleep only after midnight and waking up three to four hours later. He was worried about aftershocks, which can damage his brick house.
Pasek hopes the government would continue assisting uninformed residents like him. Everything can serve as a lesson although it is amid anxiety.
“I am poor. I have nothing, but I pray for everyone to be able to work well. May Mount Agung never stop teaching many things to us all,” he said.
Waking up from a long sleep, Mount Agung again showed its might just like its name. It serves as a mentor, giving knowledge to humans to not stop living in safety with their surroundings.
(NIK/CHE/KRN)