BMKG warns of possible tsunami as ‘Child of Krakatoa’ alert level raised

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued a warning that seismic activity by Anak Krakatoa between the islands of Java and Sumatra may trigger a tsunami.

The agency has raised its alert level in the area from II, signifying high alert, to III, signifying need for standby, on the country’s four-point danger scale.

“With the increasing activity level of Anak Krakatoa volcano from level II to level III, the public is urged to be aware of the potential for high waves or tsunami especially at night,” the agency’s chief Dwikorita Karnawati said in a press conference yesterday.

Dwikorita said that BMKG, together with the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s Geological Agency, and the local Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) will continue to monitor Anak Krakatoa and sea levels in the Sunda Strait.

“Because at night, it’s difficult to visually see the presence of high waves approaching the coastline. Whereas during the day, it’s quite visible. This means that the [volcanic and sea level] activity can still continue,” Dwikorita explained.

Despite the raised alert level, BMKG has urged the public not to panic and to only trust information from official sources.

Anak Krakatoa has continuously erupted since early April, with the latest occurring on Sunday at 8:20pm, sending a massive plume of smoke and ash as high as 3,000 meters above the volcano’s peak or 3,157 meters above sea level. Lava sparks have been spotted in the eruptions in the past two days.

Additionally, officials have urged the public to stay outside of a 5-kilometer radius from Anak Krakatoa in light of the raised danger alert level. That said, sea transport from and to Port of Merak, Banten to Bakauheni Port in Lampung is still relatively safe.

Anak Krakatoa, which translates to “Child of Krakatoa,” last had a major eruption in December 2018, generating a tsunami that killed more than 400 people and displaced tens of thousands.

The volcano is the offspring of the infamous Krakatoa volcano, which erupted in 1883 in one of the biggest blasts in recorded history and triggered a period of global cooling.