Living Under the Volcano

Mount Merapi on Java island, Indonesia, erupted in 2010 causing 353 fatalities and the displacement of more than 350.000 people. The eruption began on October 26 and continued into early 2011. The volcanic activity included pyroclastic flows, explosive eruptions, and not the least lahars (lahar dingin - cold lava flows, mudflows), causing significant damage and fatalities. The lahars continued to pose a threat during the rainy seasons following the eruption, leading to ongoing challenges for the affected communities. These lahars flowed into the Progo River, causing flooding and damage to infrastructure and agricultural land. Still, the people under the volcano have to live and make a living. Ibu Waljirah is a 42 years old woman who together with her husband and many others in the village has turned disaster into opportunity, "Before Merapi erupted there was not much opportunities for work, and I could not help my husband to support our family. After Merapi erupted we can take cold lava from the river and sell it for construction purposes." Ibu Waljirah and her husband raises two children, a boy and a girl, both at school age and are thus in the need for money for school material and uniforms. She is happy to work alongside her husband in the river, "I have no other option, and I need to contribute to the family economy". The money is not in any way big, though, with a truck load selling for between IDR 70.000 and 100.000. Ibu Waljirah explains, "It is not every day we can sell the lava, there are not always customers. Maybe on average in a day I make only IDR 25.000 since we are 4 people in a group sharing the income." Is she scared of working in the river under the volcano, especially during rainy season? Ibu Waljirah laughs, "Yes, a little bit, but if we see that it gets cloudy and dark over the mountain, we get out of the river quickly."