Tangkuban Perahu reopens

Authorities in West Java finally lifted the ban on visiting Mount Tangkuban Perahu in Lembang and allowed locals to visit the ecotourism park after the mountain stopped spewing hazardous materials.

West Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) chief Sigit Udjwalaprana said here on Sunday that the visitation restriction was lifted after the Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation Agency’s evaluation of the current conditions in the field.

No visits were allowed after the mountain began spewing harmful materials on Aug. 23, and local people living on the slopes of the mountain were asked to remain cautious and ready should conditions have worsened.

Hundreds of locals and tourist guides have earned their livelihoods from operating food and beverage stands and tourist activities in the ecotourism park in which Mt. Tangkuban Perahu is located.

The head of the Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation Agency, Surono, said previously that his office recommended the reopening of the area after its evaluation found that the number of tremors had been decreasing significantly and the mountain had stopped spewing hazardous materials. “As of Sept. 21, the mountain’s status was lowered to normal from alert status,” he said.(Jakarta Post)