Qa'dah 26, 1431 / Nov. 3, 2010, SPA -- Three out of 16 volcanoes in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are reported to be showing increasing activity since they were given "alert" status in April 2010, a volcanological official said here Wednesday. Yoseph Suryanto, the head of a Mount Egon monitoring post, said the three volcanoes were Mount Rokatenda (875 meters) in Palue island, Mount Egon (1,703 meters) located some 40 kilometers from Maumere, and Mount Lewo Tobi (780 meters) located in East Flores district. Mount Egon was recorded to be the most active among the three volcanoes. The increasing activity was caused by tribulations in the volcano's bowels and had the potential of causing an eruption, ANTARA quoted Yoseph as saying. It was also reported that white clouds were arising from the volcanoes' craters to a height of 15 to 25 meters along with weak gas pressures. "Visual tremors are increasing from these volcanoes, and local residents have been told to be alert and we have also reported the situation to the local government," said Yoseph. The Vulcanological and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center and the Vulcanological Agency in Bandung, West Java, had also been informed about the latest developments around the three volcanoes. Previously, on Tuesday, People's Welfare Coordinating Minister Agung Laksono urged people living near volcanoes to monitor their activity. "There are 19 increasingly active volcanoes in Indonesia that must be watched with statuses ranging from normal, warning, alert to beware," the minister said. Among the 19 active volcanoes was Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait. Agung also asked Indonesian residents not to panic in emergency situations and always remain aware by following the official regulations in order to minimize casualties.
