The government says it will review volcanic disaster guidelines in order to include hikers and tourists in evacuation measures, following the deadliest eruption in decades.
The government has proposed offering real-time information on volcanic activity via smartphones at all 47 volcanoes under constant surveillance and facilitating the construction of shelters to protect people from rocks ejected by eruptions.
The current guidelines, drafted in 2008, call for local authorities and other institutions to enforce safe-distance restrictions based on a system of alerts. In a level 2 alert, hikers are advised not to approach the crater. A level 3 alert means they should not approach the mountain. The guidelines also call for the emergency information network to be reinforced by helicopters, email and other means.