Mt. Marapi Produces Volcanic Ash Again

Bukittinggi, West Sumatra - Mount Marapi in Koto Baru, Tanah Datar, West Sumatera produced volcanic ash again on Tuesday at 6.45 am local time. ANTARA has observed from Bukittinggi that the mountain peak produced clouds of black smoke. Andi of Bukittinggi said that he heard a lound explosion he thought came from his motorcycle when he was about to go to work. "However, I saw Mount Marapi produced black smoke when I went outside," he said. He added that local residents often saw Mount Marapi producing volcanic ash. "So far, the volcanic ash is not harmful to people," he said. Arif, another resident, said that Marapi Mountain often produced volcanic ash. "The volcanic ash has become familiar to us as we often see it. So far, it does effect the life of the people of Agam," he said. He added that the volcanic ash is actually useful to paddy fields. "The volcanic ash is mixed with sulfur and make the the paddy fields fertile," he explained. A Marapi Mountain officer of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (BGPVMB) Ujang said that nowadays Marapi Mountain is producing volcanic ash mixed with sulfur. "The volcanic ash mixed with sulfur reached a height of 150 to 200 meters," he said. According to him, the volcanic ash covered several districts in West Sumatra such as Agam, Tanahdatar and Padangpanjang. "It's been estimated that Marapi Mountain has been producing volcanic ash for more than 15 times since August," he said.