Indonesia’s Mount Merapi spews hot lava, safety warning issued
Jakarta, Jan 10: Mount Merapi, located near the densely populated city of Yogyakarta, the capital of the Special Region of Yogyakarta Province in Indonesia, emitted hot lava on Friday.
The volcano erupted five times, with lava flows reaching up to 1,900 metres. This prompted the country’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre to issue a warning for the safety of nearby residents.
The potential dangers include hot clouds and lava flows, according to the centre. For areas south and southwest of the crater, these threats could extend up to 7 km, while for regions southeast of the volcano, the danger zone reaches 3 km.
Monitoring data indicates that Mount Merapi continues to produce magma, posing a risk of hot cloud emissions in the affected zones.
Residents have been advised to avoid activities within the hazardous areas and remain vigilant for possible lava floods and hot clouds during heavy rains.
Standing at 2,968 metres, Mount Merapi is one of Indonesia’s 127 active volcanoes, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier on October 3, 2024, Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi, emitted 21 lava flows towards the southwest, according to the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Centre. (IANS)
2024 confirmed to be warmest year on record globally
Brussels, Jan 10: The year 2024 is confirmed to be the warmest year globally since record began in 1850, underlining the urgency for decisive global action against climate change, the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said Friday.
2024 also marks the first calendar year in which the average global temperature exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial level, a critical threshold set by the Paris Agreement, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the European climate body’s press release.
In 2024, the global average temperature was 15.1 degrees Celsius, 0.12 degrees Celsius above 2023, the previous warmest year on record. This is equivalent to 1.6 degrees Celsius above an estimate of the pre-industrial level, Copernicus said.
The statement added that the two-year average for 2023 and 2024 also exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold above its pre-industrial level. (IANS)