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Time for more news updates and commentary of some issues that are of concerned to geography.

BLITAR, Indonesia - Continuous tremors rocked a threatening volcano on Indonesia’s main Java island on Friday, a scientist said, warning it could erupt at any time.

Authorities placed historically deadly Mount Kelut on red alert more than two weeks ago, but until Thursday when hundreds of tremors shook the peak its activity had remained largely calm.…….

Many returned home despite evacuation efforts when the alert was initially raised, or refused to leave altogether.

Officials said they were planning to set up cinema screens and invite pop singers to perform at evacuation shelters in an effort to lure people to safety.

“We will set up an outdoor cinema at several shelters in Blitar district in order to attract people to evacuate,” said Kamtono, a local official from one of the two districts that would be affected by an eruption.

“We are having big difficulties asking people to evacuate. They don’t want to leave their livestock untended in the village and they also still believe the elderly people who are saying that Kelut won’t erupt soon,” he told AFP………

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Right here we are looking at Indonesia, situated at the belt of Pacific Ring of Fire,who is home to 129 active volcanoes. Looking at the article, i can’t help it but feel sad for them.

The people that live there feel more for their possessions, like their livestocks, than their life actually. The local government even had to use the carrot stick method, to attract and lure them out from their den.

Somehow its not very right to put the blame on them, considering the level of standard of living they are experiencing and the level of education they received.

Right here in Singapore, we might think that they are not making a wise choice to not abandon their homes and seek for safety and shelter. But if we step into their shoes and think, what they have in their cupboards are probably all that they have, their fields and livestocks are their main source of income and livelihood. Losing them would equate to losing their monetary support which would make life even more unbearable for them; without food and money.

It seems that the evacuation  job of the local authorities would not be a easy job, especially when most of the families are in the kind of situation as mentioned above. Furthermore, there are many elderlies that have the religious/superstitious mindset that the volcano would not erupt as soon, or that it is the act of God and they should just accept it.

This is part of the Hazards and Management of Lithospheric Management, where the tectonic activities which results in volcanic activity have to be managed.

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