Thankfully, from the news on Monday (29/7/2019), we know that the volcanic activity of Mount Tangkuban Parahu is decreasing. Its status was declared normal on Sunday.
The volcano, located on the border of West Bandung and Subang regencies, West Java, erupted on Friday (26/7) afternoon. On one side, there is information that signs of Tangkuban Parahu’s eruption had been detected and submitted to the relevant government agencies, but there is also information that the eruption was not preceded by vibrations or an earthquake.
The head of Western Area Volcanic Mitigation with the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), Nia Khaerani, said this was an oddity. The rain of ash around Kawah Ratu without any clear volcanic sings could cause danger. Residents or tourists around this popular mountain did not get a sign or warning about the possibility of an eruption.
At the Tangkuban Parahu Volcano Monitoring Post, as quoted by Warta Kota, on Saturday, Nia said an eruption could happen even though there was no preceding earthquake. At that time, seismographs showed straight lines, which meant there were no signs of seismicity. This is a phenomenon that needs to be noted, because usually volcanoes that will erupt indicate volcanic activity, such as earthquakes or increased volcanic material.
We are grateful that even though there were many tourists during the eruption, the volcanic activity did not cause casualties.
However, as a nation that wants to learn from every phenomenon, we do not want the Tangkuban Parahu eruption to just pass by.
In every occurrence of volcanic activity, there is a message that we must catch.
Because there were no preliminary signs of an eruption, there might be something strange happening. However, on the other hand, we also need introspection and ask ourselves whether we had carefully observed the signs that appeared before the eruption. Was the seismograph in good condition? If it works well, it should also be checked whether the instrument has a high sensitivity.
It\'s just a question for us all. There is not the slightest intention to blame anyone. We raise this matter so that we can pay more attention to the potential of geological and volcanic disasters. It should not stop at just paying more attention. We also want it to be followed by adequate disaster recovery investments.
As a nation located along the Ring of Fire, marked by 130 volcanoes that are scattered in Indonesian territory, the awareness to prepare for eruptions and earthquakes should be firmly attached to the hearts of the people.
Only by developing a vigilant attitude and equipping ourselves with sophisticated, state-of-the-art sensor equipment, and diligently mitigating or simulating a disaster, we have made efforts to minimize the impact of disasters.
We do all of this while continuing to study volcanology. We praise the knowledge of the authorities who immediately learned that the Tangkuban Parahu eruption did not have the potential to trigger movement in the Lembang fault.