2 November 2008
Arusha — Living around Oldonyo Lengai (Mountain of God) is hazardous in view of the recent volcanic eruptions that have proved destructive.
The Ngorongoro District Commissioner Jowika Kasunga, said last week that environs of the mountain, venerated by the Maasai as the giver of all good things, was no longer safe for habitation following vicious and recurring volcano activity.
The District Commissioner who was speaking at a function to hand out food relief to victims of the Oldonyo Lengai volcanic eruption said experts have advised that 10 to 50km radius from the mountain was dangerous for human habitation.
Series of eruptions of the active volcanic mountain were experienced from June last year to April this year leaving about 1,000 livestock and hundreds of wildlife dead.
The massive eruptions also forced about 10,000 people mostly from Naiyobi village to flee their homes. Although the volcano eruption claimed no human lives, it destroyed trees, bushes and crops leaving residents of neighbouring villages in dire need of food and shelter.
Other villages affected by the volcanic eruptions include Magadini, Engaruka, Malambo, Ngaresero, Gelai-Bomba and Kitumbeine.
Handing out food aid last weekend, Bishop Thomas Laizer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, Arusha Region Diocese pledged to offer 250 tones of grain worth Tsh.87.5 million to villagers who suffered the wrath of the volcanic eruption.
At the event he handed out the first installment of 100 tones of cereals worth Tsh.36 million that has been donated by various organizations. He praised the donor organizations and in particular, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority for offering the humanitarian aid.
He however, wondered why in this age of advanced science and technology the mountain eruption caught the nation unawares. The Bishop expected that people should have been given an early warning of the impending disaster.
Ol Doinyo Lengai located in Ngorongoro district is part of the volcanic system of the Great Rift Valley in Eastern Africa. It is located in the eastern Rift Valley, south of Lake Natron .
According to scientific sources whereas most lavas are rich in silicate minerals, the lava of Ol Doinyo Lengai is rich in the rare sodium and potassium carbonates. Due to this unusual composition, the lava is erupted at relatively low temperatures (approximately 500-600 degrees Celsius). This temperature is so low that the molten lava appears black in sunlight, rather than having the red glow common to most lavas.
It is also much more fluid than silicate lavas. The sodium and potassium carbonate minerals of the lavas formed by Ol Doinyo Lengai are unstable at the Earth's surface and susceptible to rapid weathering, quickly turning from black to grey in color. The resulting volcanic landscape is different from any other in the world.
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