ALAM BAHASA AND THE SURROUNDINGS
IN RELATION TO MERAPI VOLCANO ERUPTION

Dear Alam Bahasa friends,

Thank you very much for your sympathies to the people in Yogyakarta area in the current situation due to Merapi volcano eruption. Although Merapi is not done yet, we hope that the worst is over.

We understand that some of you may be undecided to come to Yogyakarta at the moment. Related to this, we would like to give you the following information on Jogja city, especially Alam Bahasa and the surroundings, in relation to the volcano eruption.

The name Yogyakarta or Jogja may refer to many areas which administratively are included in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY). As you might know, the Special Region of Yogyakarta is a province which administratively consists of Jogja City municipality and 4 districts:

Sleman district
Gunung Kidul district
Kulonprogo district
Bantul district

You can refer to the administrative map of DI Yogyakarta and the Jogja city map to get an idea of the administrative division, geographic location, and where Alam Bahasa school is. Some areas in the north which administratively belong to Sleman district are located in the northern part of Jogja City. This includes the area where Alam Bahasa school is located.

The situation in Jogja city is fine. We got ash rain on 30 October and 5 November, but the city is conducive for daily activities. Public places such as shops, restaurants, and markets open at regular hours. Public transportation except flights (due to the meanwhile inactive flights from and to Jogja airport) is normal as well.

When we read or watch news about areas which are heavily affected by hot ash or lava due to Merapi volcano eruption, they refer to villages on the volcano slope, located 4 up to 11.5 kilometers from the volcano top. The distance does not refer to all directions, but depends on which part of the volcano crater edge is broken, or the wind direction which pushes the hot ash, or the river flows that carries the lava.

Jogja city, where Alam Bahasa school is located, is 30 kilometers from the volcano top. Despite getting the dust from the ash rains last week–which is now cleaned already, we manage to do our daily activities. So, in Alam Bahasa school we work fulltime as usual and are always ready for new students. The environment might have seemed quieter for several days because public schools had days off when ash rain took place.

Regarding some students' question whether it is safe to come and stay here, yes, it is.
When the flights to Jogja airport are still inactive, other choices which are also convenient are:

flights to Semarang, continued by executive bus from Semarang to Jogja
executive trains from Jakarta
executive buses from Bali

Speaking of Merapi eruption, we understand that it is hard for people outside Indonesia to imagine how Jogja situation could still be conducive. Described as the nearest city to Merapi, Jogja is imagined to be the first one to be destroyed by the volcano eruption. However, from the description above you may understand that staying here will be safe and daily needs such as meals and shopping will not be a problem. Wearing mask when going outdoor is a good care for our health.

The following is several terms involved in Merapi volcano context.

hot ash
The cloud ejected by the volcano in an eruption. The hot ash could reach vertical height or move to villages on the volcano slopes. The heat scale of hot ash could reach the range of 300-600 Centigrade. So far the longest distance that the hot ash reached was 11.5 kilometers.
lava
Lava flows from the edge of volcano top. Lava could go far when it is carried by the river flows. When the river overflows, the volcanic mudflow will endanger areas in the riversides as the mudflow has strong smashing power.
ash rain
The ash rain could reach towns hundred kilometers away from the volcano, depending on the wind direction. The process of cleaning the thick volcanic dust takes some time. That's why Borobudur Temple is closed for several days for this process.
danger zone
The area from where people should be evacuated. When it is said that the danger zone radiates 20 kilometers from the volcano top for Sleman district, it doesn't automatically mean all areas in the south. It refers to the direction of the lava and areas around some rivers which carry the lava.
effect to airport
When the flights are delayed or rescheduled to depart or arrive from/in another airport, it is because of the ash/dust that distracts visibility.