The basic chore of living in a disaster-prone area is to practice facing any disaster risk that could arise, including earthquakes, tsunamis and soil liquefaction.
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The basic chore of living in a disaster-prone area is to practice facing any disaster risk that could arise, including earthquakes, tsunamis and soil liquefaction.
There is another option: keep disaster-prone areas clear. This is not the option we have taken, because we have built – intentionally or not – many facilities and structures in disaster-prone areas, especially coastal zones.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi expressed his worry over this issue at the "Strengthening the Tsunami Warning Link to Vital Infrastructure" workshop on Wednesday (20/11/2019) at the Jakarta Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). According to the Transportation Minister, much of Indonesia’s vital infrastructure lies on the coast, especially seaports and airports. We must disaster risks into account because of the costly investment poured into these two types of infrastructure.
A question was raised: Infrastructure development planning should consider the potential risk of disasters, shouldn’t it? We believe that, if a development proceeds, a feasibility study must have been conducted to guarantee the safety of the infrastructure being built. For example, the development plan for Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulon Progo regency was known to be vulnerable to tsunamis from the beginning. However, the developers of the project have implemented disaster mitigation measures in building an airport that can withstand earthquakes of 8.8 magnitude and tsunamis up to 10 meters high.
Commercial factors frequently appear to dominate. We have a development vision of a marine highway, which inevitably requires the construction of a lot of marine infrastructure. We have also built air transport infrastructure to increase connectivity across the Nusantara (archipelago).
Our next task is to secure our vital infrastructure against disasters. Disaster mitigation measures or simulations must be undertaken to reduce their potential impacts. However, it is also important that institutions like the BMKG strengthen the early warning system’s communication chain from the center to critical infrastructure.
The BMKG covers a vast scope. As stated by BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati, 249 cities stand on 59,531 kilometers of the Indonesian coastline that lie in tsunami hazard zones. Moreover, 3.7 million people live in these zones. Despite the high risk, these regions can still be developed, as long as disaster mitigation is intensified.
Some experts point out that there may not be enough early warning devices, or that the perceived risk is lower than the actual risk. Indeed, if a disaster has not occurred, the perceived risk can be minimal. This is understandable, because high risk also means high cost.
We have built all this infrastructure. It is our job to secure and protect them, by additional work if necessary, rather than taking action after the fact.
The BMKG workshop and the Transportation Minister\'s presentation serve as a reminder to us all that, in the midst of political issues, we must not forget the fact that we live on the Ring of Fire and frequently see major natural disasters. However, we can minimize their potential impacts as long as we are diligent in our housework.