May 14, 2024
JAKARTA – Torrential rains in West Sumatra and lahars around the province’s volcanic Mount Marapi over the weekend have left 41 people dead, with 17 others missing as of Monday.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the recent heavy rainfall in the province was related to abnormally warm sea surface temperatures producing moisture-laden clouds.
“The [sea surface temperature] anomaly has been detected in almost all waters across the globe […]. In Indonesia itself, a significant increase in water temperature was found in the northern waters of Aceh, the Natuna Sea, Tomini Bay and the northern waters of Java-East Nusa Tenggara, with a temperature increase of more than 1 degree Celsius,” BMKG official Andri Ramdhani told The Jakarta Post.
He added that the anomalous weather was closely related to climate change.
Increased temperatures have been reported across Southeast Asia over the past few weeks, and the international community appears to have missed its target of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
A BMKG official in West Sumatra noted that built up deposits of volcanic material from Marapi’s eruption last year had made the lahars, a flowing mixture of water and volcanic material, more severe.
“Marapi’s volcanic deposits [if washed away by heavy rainwater] can cause galodo,” said Padang Panjang Geophysical Station head Suadi Ahadi, as quoted by Antara, using a local term for lahar. Marapi is one of the most active volcanoes in the country and regularly experiences lahars.
Marapi experienced a particularly destructive galodo in April 1979 that destroyed five villages in the regencies of Tanah Datar and Agam. The flash flooding and mudslides left 60 people dead and 19 missing. In March 2009, a similarly destructive and deadly volcanic mudflow occurred, followed by lesser incidents in 2010 and 2017.
Agam regency was struck hardest by this weekend’s lahars and flooding, with 19 people found dead across the districts of Canduang, Sungai Pua and Ampek Koto, the local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) reported on Sunday. A number of additional people had reportedly been hospitalized with injuries.
The disaster destroyed more than 110 buildings in Agam, both private homes and public facilities.
In the nearby regency of Tanah Datar, 13 deaths were recorded, with 12 people injured and seven others missing as of Monday.
The flooding affected 80 houses and more than a dozen bridges in Tanah Datar. It also paralyzed traffic between Tanah Datar, Padang and Solok regencies, with nearly knee-deep mudflows reportedly prompting residents to seek alternative roads.
As of Monday evening, rescue workers were still searching the surrounding areas for victims and evacuating people who remained in high-risk areas. Heavy machinery was also being used to clear key roads of mud and debris.
The city of Padang Panjang was also inundated after the Lubuk Mata Kucing River overflowed its banks. Two fatalities had been recorded in the city as of Monday evening, while seven deaths had been reported in Padang Pariaman regency.
The BNPB has asked West Sumatra residents, especially those who live near the rivers leading from Mount Marapi, to be aware of the risk of further disasters.