Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is strengthening preparedness among coastal communities in Banten province in response to ongoing activity at Mount Anak Krakatau, the agency reported on Thursday.
The move follows another eruption at the volcano earlier the same morning, according to detikNews. BNPB did not provide further operational details in its announcement.
Anak Krakatau sits in the Sunda Strait, the body of water separating Java from Sumatra, placing Banten's coastline close to the volcano. The strait is the same setting as the 2018 eruption and collapse that triggered a tsunami along nearby shores.
Alongside the preparedness push, authorities have moved to correct misinformation circulating about the eruption. The Central Java provincial government flagged as false a claim that ash from Anak Krakatau had reached Semarang, a city on Java's north coast well away from the strait.
Air quality in the region has drawn separate attention. The Tangerang city government reported that its air pollution index reading for the day remained within acceptable limits. In Banten's Serang regency, police officers at Cikande distributed masks and bottled water to motorists in a follow-up community assistance effort, according to Tribrata News Banten.
What to watch next: whether BNPB issues further guidance for Sunda Strait coastal areas, and whether Anak Krakatau's activity escalates or subsides in the coming days.
