MAGELANG, CENTRAL JAVA — Merapi Volcano located in the Regency and City of Sleman, Magelang, Boyolali, Klaten, Yogyakarta Special Region and Central Java is still in level III (alert). Based on the monitoring of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) on Friday (21/10/2022), there have been 10 (ten) avalanche earthquakes with an amplitude of 3-5 mm and an earthquake duration of 24.6-142.2 seconds, 4 (four) gust earthquakes with an amplitude of 3 mm and an earthquake duration of 18.8-22.2 seconds, 1 (one) time Hybrid / Multiple Phase earthquakes with an amplitude of 7 mm, S-P 0.8 seconds and a long earthquake of 9.9 seconds, and 10 (ten) times deep volcanic earthquakes with amplitudes of 3-12 mm, S-P 0.6-1 second and long earthquakes of 6.8-11.6 seconds. In addition, Merapi Volcano was observed to be covered by Fog 0-II to be covered by Fog 0-III. Meanwhile, crater smoke was not observed.
Santoso, one of the residents of Kaliurang Village, Srumbung District, Magelang Regency, on Friday (21/10/2022), said his experience when facing the eruption of Merapi Volcano.
“Our area is in a disaster-prone area (KRB) III. The territory is already close to the top of Merapi. In the 2010 eruption, all were devastated because they were hit by the eruption of Merapi. The eruption of Merapi was so large and continued there was a cold lava flow. So our place is really very vulnerable when the eruption of Merapi. And followed by the rainy season, there must be cold lava,” he explained.
He thinks 2010 was a precarious point for him. When the eruption occurred, the situation and conditions were already very tense. “So of course, 2010 saw a tense situation and conditions. Finally, in the following years, we are more aware of the community to understand more about disaster risk reduction in eruptive disaster management,” he concluded.
However, through the eruption in 2010, he met with the Disaster Management Center (DMC) of Dompet Dhuafa. At that time, DMC Dompet Dhuafa actively conducted an Emergency Response for survivors affected by the eruption of Merapi Volcano. This prompted Santoso and his friends to propose cooperation with DMC Dompet Dhuafa.
“In 2016, there began to be disaster risk programs. So together with DMC Dompet Dhuafa, we make disaster red flags, hold ready-to-read training, and introduce disaster-safe education schools (SPAB) at SDN Kaliurang 1, Dusun Jrakah and SDN Kaliurang 2, South Kaliurang Hamlet, so that children and teachers already know where we should evacuate when an eruption occurs,” he admitted.
The cooperation that was established continued again from 2018 to 2021. Starting from creating a Warm Post whose function is to become a monitoring post for local residents.
“When community members are on guard to monitor the increase in Merapi Volcano and continue until 2021, we propose a program for a Disaster Response Area,” he added.
Santoso, a representative of the Pawira Magelang Community in Central Java, is a volunteer and partner of DMC Dompet Dhuafa. Together with local residents, DMC Dompet Dhuafa has made an Evacuation Route Map, SPAB, installation of monitoring posts packaged by Pos Hangat, mapping disaster-prone areas, and identifying transect-plotting.
Through KTB, DMC Dompet Dhuafa hopes to increase capacity and increase public awareness to be resilient to disasters. The community is a key actor and the first party in disaster management. DMC Dompet Dhuafa only plays a role as an intermediary and introduction between the beneficiaries and the donors of The Goodness of Dompet Dhuafa.
“Collaboration, this program started from the community’s own initiative, Dompet Dhuafa took the initiative to facilitate this innovative solution through collaboration with other partners,” explained Haryo Mojopahit as Chief Executive of DMC Dompet Dhuafa.
The process of establishing a Disaster Response Area is inseparable from the role of key actors at the forefront of developing their own communities. This figure is the main factor in the success of implementing key sustainability programs and developing intervention areas.
In addition, during the eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010, several areas were isolated due to the eruption. So in 2010 it became a momentum for residents to present a disaster mitigation program called Sister Village or Sister Village.
The Village of Brothers is a village that is allocated as an evacuation site as well as an evacuation post point consisting of various emergency response services when a disaster occurs. Starting from the Public Kitchen, Logistics, Health and other emergency response services. Currently, Kaliurang has prepared three points of The Brothers Village, all of which are managed independently by local residents.
“We always socialize to the community to be independent, meaning that when displaced, we do not rely on the government, but every citizen of the community is required every Saturday and Sunday to make a contribution of Rp. 2000. Accumulated from the 125 households in one week has received approximately Rp. 250 thousand. If one month means that it is almost IDR 1 million. We allocate these funds to our brothers and sisters when they are affected by disasters,” admitted Santoso.
In the near future with the support of the community, Kaliurang Village and DMC Dompet Dhuafa will re-maximize KTB in disaster management of the Merapi Volcano eruption. But to do that the support and help of the community is urgently needed.
“With the support and assistance of the community, we hope to be able to provide an Early Warning System (EWS) device and then SPAB with a disaster-safe place of worship based concept. Then support the installation and legalize community radio between residents. In addition, it is also optimizing Sister Village which has been managed directly independently by the people of Kaliurang Village,” said Haryo. (Dompet Dhuafa / DMC)