PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government has taken a number of anticipatory measures following the spread of volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau's activities which has impacted air quality and flight activity in the Bandung area.

Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan urged the public not to panic, but to remain vigilant, especially regarding the risk of health problems caused by exposure to volcanic ash.

"Since yesterday, we've been urging the public not to panic. After all, volcanic ash is a part of life for the Indonesian people, who live on the Ring of Fire," said Farhan at Bandung City Hall on Monday (September 7, 2026).

One of the steps taken by the Bandung City Government is to ask school children to wear masks as protection from exposure to volcanic ash.

Farhan admitted that he had visited a number of schools and seen students starting to wear masks.

According to him, the volcanic ash that remains in the school environment after the weekend also needs to be cleaned up immediately so that it doesn't fly around again.

Even though volcanic ash on the surface has been cleaned through spraying, there is still the possibility of ash spreading in the air at certain heights.

"Its distribution is at an altitude of between 10,000 and 15,000 feet, or about 3 to 5 kilometers from the surface," he said.

To anticipate the impact on public mobility, the Bandung City Government is also coordinating with the Ministry of Transportation to add train services to the east and west as needed.

Farhan said that a number of prospective passengers whose flights from Jakarta to cities such as Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Solo were cancelled then chose to continue their journey via Bandung by train.

"Many people from Jakarta failed to fly to Surabaya, Jogja, Solo, then took the bus to Bandung and from Bandung they took the train east," he said.

In addition to transportation, the Bandung City Government also sprayed water on several roads with high traffic and pedestrian activity. This measure was taken to prevent volcanic ash from re-floating on the surface.

On the health side, Farhan said all community health centers and health facilities in Bandung City have been asked to be on alert for a potential increase in cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI), which is one of the health risks caused by exposure to volcanic ash.

"Community health centers and all health facilities are on standby for acute respiratory infections (ARI) because the biggest risk is acute respiratory infections," he said.
He also emphasized that health services must continue and that health facilities must not refuse patients who need treatment.

Regarding the potential shortage of masks on the market, Farhan said he would check the availability of masks, especially in modern stores and medical equipment sales facilities.

This is done to prevent hoarding and price spikes.

"We will ensure there is no backlog like in the beginning. I will also check the stock at the Health Office," he said.

Farhan said the Bandung City Government is still considering a free mask distribution scheme, taking into account market stock levels.

According to him, the government's large-scale purchase of masks could potentially increase market prices if not properly calculated.

Meanwhile, teaching and learning activities in Bandung City schools have not yet been implemented through distance learning (PJJ).

Students are still allowed to participate in in-person learning by implementing protective measures, one of which is wearing a mask.

Farhan also confirmed that the volcanic ash situation and flights would continue to be monitored regularly. As of around 1:00 PM WIB, flights from Bandung had not yet received permission to resume operations.

The Head of the Bandung City Fire and Rescue Service, Sony Bachtiar, said that spraying was prioritized on protocol roads that are busy with residents and tourists.

"Today we're spraying on Jalan Asia Afrika, along Asia Afrika. Then on Jalan Ir. H. Juanda. Tonight we'll continue to Jalan Supratman to Purwakarta, then Jalan Dipatiukur and Jalan RE Martadinata," said Sony.

According to Sony, spraying not only targets roads, but also areas of the environment that have the potential to store volcanic ash, such as sidewalks, leaves, and trees.

"This is to prevent dust on the surface from rising back into the air. We'll spray dust on leaves, trees, and sidewalks to prevent it from rising again," he said.

During the operation, officers utilized water sources from hydrants and available retention ponds. Sony confirmed that water supplies for spraying activities are currently sufficient.

(Bandung City Communications and Information Service/rka)