The Mount Ruang catastrophe: Why is Indonesia mulling to relocate 10,000 people?

Indonesia announced that it will be permanently relocating almost 10,000 residents after the Ruang volcano witnessed a series of explosive eruptions. The volcano’s eruptions have raised concerns among authorities about the dangers of residing on the island in future.

A little over 9,800 people used to live in the Ruang island which was located in the province of North Sulawesi. However, multiple volcanic eruptions in recent weeks have forced all residents to evacuate the tiny island region.

The situation became worse after the mountain continued spewing incandescent lava and columns of ash kilometres into the sky. The authorities raised the alert status in the region to the highest level and eventually closed the provincial airport in Manado.

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They also issued a warning of a possible tsunami after parts of the mountain collapsed into the surrounding waters.

What are the relocation plans?

According to ABC Australia, Indonesia’s Human Development Minister Muhadjir Effendy informed that hundreds of “simple but permanent” homes would be built in the Bolaang Mongondow to help the residents relocate from the island.

“As instructed by President Joko Widodo, we will build houses that meet disaster standards,” Effendy after conducting a cabinet meeting to discuss the matter. The Bolaang Mongondow site is located just 200 kilometres from Ruang island.

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The Mount Ruang catastrophe

The Ruang mountain began to dramatically erupt last month causing lava to flow into the residential areas. Experts believed that the recent eruptions were triggered by an increase in seismic activity, including deep sea earthquakes.

On Tuesday, the volcano erupted once again, causing significant damage to homes and forcing residents to evacuate from the Tagulandang island, where they had initially sought refuge. From there, the residents went to the provincial capital of Manado.

While the volcano has not erupted since then, the region’s Manado’s Sam Ratulangi Airport remained closed until the evening due to the spread of volcanic ash.

It is pertinent to note that Indonesia is situated in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area which is known for high seismic activity. Earlier this week, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) had warned of a potential tsunami triggered by volcanic material collapsing into the ocean.