Neighboring towns feel the heat of Merapi eruption

Three days of falling ash from Mount Merapi, which lies between the provinces of Yogyakarta and Central Java, has seriously affected the social and economic life of neighboring cities.
Dalyunani of Karanganyar district, Kebumen regency, said only a few stalls were open at the region’s market since Friday as most vendors preferred to stay at home following the first heavy rain of ash the day before.
“This has caused the price of many vegetables such as potatoes and watercress to double,” she told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Umi, a watercress farmer from Sruweng district, said she could not sell her produce at market since Thursday as her fields were covered by volcanic ash.
“There is no chance that I can harvest watercress again until the eruptions fully end,” she said.
Both Umi and Dalyunani said they had also warned family members to wear face masks when they ventured outside.


Located 120 kilometers to the west of Yogyakarta, the town of Kebumen woke up to find most buildings, vehicles, trees and streets covered by a thin blanket of volcanic ash.
A similar scene played out in Purworejo, Central Java, located halfway between Kebumen and Yogyakarta.
On Saturday, Purworejo residents were busy cleaning their houses and streets.
“The volcanic ash suddenly blanketed our city heavily yesterday [Friday]. It caused many bamboo trees to fall, some landing on houses,” Suharta, a resident in the city’s Kutoarjo district, said.
Suharta said he chose to close his small motorcycle repair shop so he could help his family clean their house.
The volcanic ash has also created problems for most local health centers, which are struggling with a shortage of supplies to help residents suffering from respiratory illnesses.
“We distributed less than 100 masks to residents yesterday, not near enough to help the more than 10,000 people living in the villages around us,” Bagelen community health center official Sabubidaya said.
He added that he did not know whether the municipal health agency would distribute more masks to all community health centers in the city.
The disaster has also halted teaching activities in other cities. Several students who The Jakarta Post spoke to in Purworejo, Kebumen and Klaten said their schools had instructed them to return home, saying class would be back in when the situation improved.
“But none of the teachers could say when exactly that would be,” Bahtiar, an eighth grader at state junior high school SMP 4 Kebumen, said.