[Kabar-indonesia] Water crisis hits volcano evacuees in N. Sulawesi

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post
Wednesday, August 2, 2006

Water crisis hits evacuees in N. Sulawesi 

Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado

Hundreds of residents displaced following the increasing activity of Mt. 
Karangetang on Siau Island, North Sulawesi, were facing a shortage of drinking 
water Tuesday.

Since the volcano was put on the top alert status last week, hundreds of 
residents on the island, which lies north of the province's capital city, Manado, 
have been told to evacuate their houses and live in shelters. 

"We've been experiencing a water shortage since Sunday. It's hard to find 
clean water to cook with and drink, all the water containers are filled with lava 
and mud," Oly, an East Siau resident who has been staying in a shelter in 
West Siau, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. 

She said there was enough water for bathing. 

Another East Siau resident staying at the shelter, Hulden Tumuwe, said there 
was enough to eat but nothing to drink. 

He said they had to queue for water from the Siau water utility. 

"In order to get clean water, we can no longer depend on wells or containers, 
since all of them are dirty and muddy," he said. 

More than 3,000 villagers fled to safety Friday after Mt. Karangetan began 
belching hot gas and lava. Mixing with heavy rain, lava from the volcano has 
created streams of lahar which have gushed down the mountain's slopes and 
inundated villages. 

When asked to confirm the water shortage, the head of East Siau district, R. 
Areros, denied the refugee shelter was affected, saying the water utility was 
delivering water daily. 

"We continue to supply them with drinking water. Maybe only one or two people 
did not get their water, then complained." 

He said the administration was working around the clock to ensure the 
refugees had access to food, shelter and medical treatment. 

"We've been distributing aid received from Sangihe regency administration as 
well as from North Sulawesi provincial administration," Areros told the Post. 

The alert status for the volcano was not downgraded Tuesday, though the hot 
gas cloud was declining. 

"Based on reports from observation staff in Siau, Karangetang remains on top 
alert status but its activity has decreased," Areros said. 

Currently, he said 881 families or 3,491 people from three villages in East 
Siau, two villages in Central Siau and one village in West Siau were in danger 
in the event of an eruption. 

So far, 399 families or 1,388 people have abandoned their homes to live in 
shelters. 

"Evacuees were accommodated in temporary shelters provided by the 
administration, while some others are staying with their relatives or taking refugee in 
schools or churches. Many of the displaced residents return home in the daytime 
and back to the shelters at night," he said. 

The volcano is the latest to be put on top alert status after Mt. Merapi in 
Central Java spewed hot clouds of gas and lava for more than two months before 
cooling down. 

Karangetan's eruption would add to a string of disasters in the country 
following the May 27 earthquake, which hit Yogyakarta and Central Java, and the 
July 17 Java tsunami that swept the island's southern coast. 

According to data from the mining resources and energy office in Manado, 
Karangetan's first recorded eruption was in 1675, with no casualties reported. 
This was followed by further eruptions, with the latest recorded in 1940, in 
which two people died and nine others were injured. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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