Vulcanologists declared last week a "standby" alert status on Java island's Merapi, one level below that which would trigger an evacuation of at least 29,000 residents living on the slopes of the 2,914-metre (9,616-foot) volcano.

For Ginem, a 35-year-old mother of two living in the village of Babadan, four kilometres (about two miles) west of the crater, warnings issued about Merapi's wrath have become an ordinary part of life.

"I am aware of the warning, but I am not afraid because I am used to hearing the occasional rumblings and seeing the smoke. I was born here," she told AFP.

The rich, fertile soils surrounding Indonesia's estimated 100 active volcanoes make living in the potentially dangerous areas worth the risk to many farmers as well as those in industries supporting them.

Merapi on Monday spewed columns of white smoke up to 75 metres (248 feet) high, while on Tuesday, Triyani, from the vulcanology office in the nearby city of Yogyakarta, said that all conditions for an eruption were present.

But Ngatemi, another Babadan resident, also brushed off the increasing activity.

Merapi's last eruption was 12 years ago, when ferocious heat clouds killed more than 60 people, and forced thousands to flee their homes. Merapi also erupted in 1976, killing 28.

"Until I see the smoke and hear the loud rumbling myself, I am not worried," Ngatemi told AFP.

The 45-year-old had walked about a kilometre from her home, her two-year-old granddaughter strapped to her with a sarong, to the Babadan monitoring post for Merapi, in the hope of seeing the volcano in action.

"I was out looking for firewood when the 1994 eruption took place and saw high clouds of hot ash, but our village was saved. I hope Merapi is not going to be angry at us again this year," she said.

Evacuation preparations have been underway this week in earnest around Merapi, with outposts being set up to coordinate possible relief and rescue efforts if it does actually erupt.

Indonesia's health minister said Tuesday that the government had formed a disaster task force in anticipation of an eruption while some 70 doctors were on standby in three Central Java cities.

The village of Krinjing, six kilometres west of the crater, is among those that have been alerted about Merapi's increasing activity, and temporary shelters are already in place, said village chief Sarijo.

"We are prepared for an eruption, but hopeful that it will not take place," Sarijo told AFP.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Sunday warned that Merapi could erupt anytime and called on residents to prepare themselves for the worst.

Merapi is one of four places where officials from the royal palaces of Java in Yogyakarta and Solo make annual offerings including the head of a buffalo, fruit, clothes, flowers and incense to placate the spirits of Javanese mythology.

Superstitious Javanese believe that a volcano's eruption is the result of the spirits being upset by not receiving sufficient offerings, or by a disrespectful attitude among the people living on its slopes.

Slamet Winoto, a 35-year-old salesman from Muntilan, a town at the foot of the volcano, rode his motorcycle to get to the Babadan monitoring post.

"Maybe this is a sign for us to repent our sins, and stop pillaging the country's natural resources," he said of the simmering volcano.

Meanwhile weekly news magazine Tempo reported Monday that Maridjan, the 79-year-old warden of Merapi, appointed by the royal house of Yogyakarta 23 years ago to replace his father, did not believe an eruption would take place.

He believes that Merapi has 12 seasons, with the last resulting in eruption. He said the volcano was only in its 10th season -- but was not dismissing the earthly experts entirely.

"I believe what the district and vulcanology officials say. They have sophisticated equipment. They can see from a faraway distance."

Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, noted for its volcanic and seismic activity.

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