2010-11-11 07:11

A village in Central Java,Indonesia, is covered with ash as a result of frequent eruptions of Mount Merapi, an active volcano which is producing its most powerful explosions since 1930. Andre Vltchek / for China Daily

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - Could rice fields or a riverbed in a tropical country turn white-gray like an image on a Christmas card modified by a photo shop?

The answer is "yes", as this just happened in Central Java, Indonesia, where its most active volcano - Mount Merapi - erupted several times in a row, producing its most powerful and deadly explosion since 1930.

Lava had been flowing down the riverbeds all the way to the historic city of Yogyakarta and the ash covered the slopes of the mountain, as well as the villages and towns within a radius of several dozen kilometers.

Everything became white-gray. The lushness of tropical greenery vanished.

But dramatic changes of colors were not the only results of this natural disaster. At least 150 people died and tens of thousands were evacuated to refugee camps and food markets converted into relief centers.

There are now some 100,000 internally displaced people in the area and the number keeps growing. Thousands of homes lie ruined and many more are seriously damaged.

The Indonesian military and police have been deployed to clean the ash and mud from the roads and to provide food and basic medical assistance to the refugees.

Ash is everywhere blanketing this ancient cultural landscape like snow. White-gray is the color of UNESCO listed World Heritage Site of Borobudur (a 9th century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang), as well as the much smaller - but equally important - sites like Candi Mendut.

Mas Rudi from Krakitan village said: "We've got no help, not even the masks. We are too poor to even purchase the masks and many of us now feel sick."

As he spoke, several villagers attempted to clean a nearby road of its sticky mud. They were using simple wooden boards and a single rubber hose.

Code River passing through the center of Yogyakarta carried a substantial flow of lava, and now its bed is dangerously elevated. Local residents were reinforcing the banks with sand bags, desperately trying to prevent floods.

Eko (who, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name), an employee of luxury Phoenix Hotel said there were no foreign relief workers staying in the area, only a few foreign journalists.

The "occupancy rate dropped to approximately 40 percent as there were many cancellations and the airport remains shut", Eko said.

At the airport, two officers of the command post - Kris and Ismu - confirmed this, saying there have been no arrivals or departures since Nov 5, and that the airport is "basically out of service".

There are no plans to re-open it in the next few days, they added. "Only ticket offices are operating until 5 pm - but that's for people to get refunds."

The ash flew as far as the nation's capital - Jakarta - temporarily closing down arrivals and departures at Sukarno Hatta International Airport late on Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and dozens of other carriers grounded their planes at Changi International Airport in Singapore.

Since then, most international airlines have resumed their flights to the capital. However, the gateways to both Yogyakarta and Solo, another Javanese city, remain shut down.

On the Southern slopes of Mount Merapi, there is an idyllic village of Plaosan, surrounded by green rice fields and breathtaking ancient temples of Prambanan and Plaosan. On a good sunny day, there is a direct view of the majestic Merapi volcano.

Now one of the village inhabitants - Ms Mudzakir - laments: "In this tiny place we have 300 refugees from Manisrenggo and Sleman towns. They are staying in people's houses.

"We have field kitchen to feed them," she added. "A state medic comes once a day for a 30-minute visit."

At the Meguwoharjo stadium in Yogyakarta, which now serves as the main shelter area, things were organized far better. Food, water and medical care were available. Around 10,000 people were camping on the straw mats.

Three little girls - Mia, 8, Nanda, 4 and Okta, 8, - were visibly shaken by the events. They said they were terrified when the volcano erupted, saying they had never heard such a mighty sound.

They spoke of longing for their parents, their hugs and the village they grew up in. But the girls voiced a readiness to attend a provisory school that will open in the fields.

After short interview, the girls stood to sing a popular song by Indonesian children: "I used to have five balloons, now I have only four."

The ash kept falling as the heavy rains began approaching, too. There seems to be no end in sight for the suffering in Central Java.

The author is a US novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist.

China Daily