House calls for integrated response to Anak Krakatau eruption

Jakarta - The Sunda Strait, situated between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, remains free from tsunami danger despite the continuous activity at Mount Anak Krakatau. No tsunami has been detected, and authorities maintain round-the-clock monitoring of the region. According to Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the probability of a tsunami in the Sunda Strait is currently low, as of 8 am on Monday.

The agency's high-frequency (HF) radar monitoring indicates a low threat level. Additionally, BMKG's 20 tsunami gauges across the strait have shown no unusual sea level changes that would suggest a tsunami. While the gauges have not indicated any such activity, BMKG's other instruments recorded heightened volcanic lightning and geomagnetic disturbances between midnight and 4 am on Monday, though these disturbances were less intense compared to the initial eruption on September 4.

Regarding sea conditions, BMKG's Acting Deputy for Meteorology, Andri Ramdhani, reported that surface currents are generally moving southwest towards the Indian Ocean at a rate of 0.4 to 0.9 knots, with wave heights between 0.3 and 1.2 meters. Forecasted wave heights in the Sunda Strait are expected to range between 0.5 and 2 meters from September 8 to 13, with generally clear to partly cloudy skies around Anak Krakatau and the strait.

BMKG has issued 39 Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) advisories for aviation since the first eruption on September 4, with the most recent advisories noting that volcanic ash reached a height of 4,572 meters and was moving westward towards Sumatra and the Indian Ocean at a speed of 15 knots. Based on Himawari-9 satellite imagery at 9 am, the prevailing wind pattern has pushed Anak Krakatau's volcanic ash towards the west.