Papua New Guinea: Manam Island Volcano

Manam Volcano, on an island off the coast of Madang province in northern Papua New Guinea, erupted early in the morning of 25 August. Lava and ash are affecting nine of 13 villages on the island, which has a population of about 7,000 people. As of 28 August, two of these villages, Dangale (239 people) and Kolang (143 people), have been evacuated to unaffected locations on the island.
Manam is one of PNG’s most active volcanoes. In 2004, a series of eruptions resulted in the evacuation of more than 9,000 people to care centres on the mainland. Unresolved issues around their resettlement from the 2004 displacement make people who have already experienced displacement and chosen to return reluctant to leave the island and go back to living in care centres on the mainland.
The volcano is active and continues to emit light to moderate ash. Further significant eruptions are possible. Accurate monitoring of the volcano is not possible at the moment because the equipment of the Rabaul Volcanological Observatory is undergoing maintenance. Heavy ash fall has also affected nearby Boisa Island, home to 872 people.