Disaster-Prone Regions Left Unprepared

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

This evacuation shelter in Banda Aceh, Aceh, is also used as a center for community activities.

BANDUNG, KOMPAS -- Living in disaster-prone regions does not necessarily lead to awareness about how to minimize the risks. Locals in many regions with a history of disasters said they were unaware about the risks of living there let alone how to prepare for them.

People living on the Lembang fault in West Bandung regency, West Java, for instance, remain unaware of potential risks.

Eceng, 35, of Batuloceng, Sunten Jaya village, Lembang district, said he had no idea about the dangers that the fault holds, adding that experts and government officials have never disseminated any information of the risks. This despite his home being located not far from one of the country’s largest fault lines.

Batuloceng community leader Rahim Asyik, 52, said information about the dangers of the Lembang fault had been minimal. “Perhaps, when a disaster occurs, we will be the first ones to be hit. Sadly, it seems that we are also the least informed,” he added.

This is a cause for concern especially after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck Bandung on Tuesday afternoon. It was one of six earthquakes that hit West Java in a span of 24 hours. Despite the earthquake’s epicenter being 163 kilometers from Bandung, locals were seen running out of tall buildings when it hit.

“I had just read a news report that the Lembang fault is dangerous. This earthquake may have an impact on the fault,” said Andri Permana, 56, of Cibeunying Kaler, Bandung.

However, a number of agencies and experts said they had disseminated information about the dangers of earthquakes. “We have informed the public numerous times about the Lembang fault. In 2016, we invited various local stakeholders in earthquake-prone regions, including village heads, owners of education facilities and government officials to a meeting to inform them about the dangers it holds,” Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) geotechnology center head Mudrik R Daryono said.

Central Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Sarwa Pramana said awareness was the most important aspect to anticipate the impact of disasters.

In Central Java, risks include floods, landslides drought, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Landslide-prone regions include Brebes, Karanganyar, Banjarnegara, Wonosobo, Temanggung and Pekalongan, while tsunami-prone regions include Cilacap, Kebumen, Purworejo and Wonogiri.

Disaster shelters

In Banda Aceh, tsunami shelters are often used to host activities, including training, meetings and sports programs.

Alue Deah Teungoh village in Meuraxa district, Banda Aceh, has a shelter that is open to the public. It has a badminton court on the ground floor, while the second floor is used by women to make crafts.

In Deah Baro village, Meuraxa district, the shelter is also used for locals’ activities. One room is used as the village head’s office.

Many locals are familiar with the shelters. “If an earthquake or tsunami hits the village, we have been told make our way to the shelter,” Rina Maulina, 30, said.

In Malang, East Java, there is not a single shelter on its 150-kilometer southern coastline.

Malang regency BPBD secretary Bagyo Setiono said the agency had asked for the construction of a shelter but it remained unrealized. (CHE/AIK/WER/WHO/VDL/SEM/DIT/AIK)