REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The National Disaster Mitigation Agency BNPB stated on Monday that cold lava flows are expected to increase amid the eruption of Mount Agung in Bali, a tourist resort island in Indonesia.
Head of Data and Information Center of BNPB, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, here on Monday urged people in Bali to avoid any activities near rivers beside Mount Agung.
"Since the rainy season has started in Bali, cold lava flows are expected to increase due to the increase in intensity of the rain," Nugroho stated.
Cold lava flow is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of volcanic materials, rocky debris, and water.
The destructive materials flow down from a volcano along a river valley, destroying any structures in their path.
Following the eruption, the local authority has also called on all villagers in the disaster-prone areas, tourists, and other individuals to avoid any activities near the volcano and other regions within a radius of 8 to 10 km from the peak of the volcano.
People living within the exclusion zone are urged to evacuate to safe areas.
The Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has raised the alert level of Mount Agung from III to IV, the highest level, indicating eruption hazards.
Authorities revealed that dark smoke and ash have been billowing up to 3,400 meters above the mountain summit, prompting officials to shut down Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport from Monday to Tuesday evening.
The 3,142-meter-high volcano has been rumbling since August 2017.
On Nov 21, Mount Agung erupted, releasing volcanic ash and smoke 700 metres high from the crater at 5.05 p.m. local time.
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