A total of 56 stupas of Borobudur Temple have been covered. This is done in anticipation of ash rain from the eruption of Merapi.
Based on the monitoring of detikTravel today, Tuesday (11/24/2020), the stupas of Borobudur Temple which have been covered are on the 8th and 9th floors. For the 8th floor there are 32 stupas, then on the 9th floor there are 24 temple stupas. Thus, a total of 56 temple stupas have been covered. In addition, the hallways on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th floors have also been covered.
The reason for the closure in this alley is because there is a water channel or drainage. It is worried that if the ash gets into the drains, cleaning will be even more difficult. Likewise in the temple stupa, there are holes if the ashes get in, cleaning it is difficult.
“We must be ready in everything to minimize the impact of the dangers of volcanic ash on the temple. One of them is affected by drainage and weathering of the stones. In addition to preventing rock weathering, there is a drainage channel below that we must protect,” Yudi Suhartono, Civil Service Officer of the Balai Cultural Borobudur Conservation (BKB) said, Tuesday (11/24/2020).
He continued, the initiation of closing of the stupa and hallway is from the experiences of Merapi eruption in 2010 and Kelud eruption in 2014 which causing volcanic ash to reach Borobudur Temple.
“We learn from the experiences of Merapi 2010 and Kelud 2014 where when it erupted, it released volcanic ash until Borobudur Temple. At that time, the pH was 3-4, it was acidic. When the acidic pH hits a rock, it will experience damage to the rock. The stone will rot if left untreated. Therefore, that experience makes us do this, ” Yudi said.
Yudi continued, when closing effort is carried out, later it will make the cleaning easier. Meanwhile, during the 2010 Merapi eruption, cleaning was very difficult to remove the floor stones and cleaned the drainage.
“Protecting the stone so that cleaning will be easier. Our experience in 2010 was so hard, dismantling the stone floor to clear the drainage,” he concluded.
