TNI to Guard Early Warning Devices

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

The process of evacuating landslide victims in Sirnaresmi Village, Cisolok District, Sukabumi Regency, continued on Friday (01/04/2018).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The government continues to improve the country’s disaster mitigation procedures and early warning system while expanding public education for disaster preparedness. Early warning equipment has been given “national vital objects” status under the guard of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

In a limited cabinet meeting on Monday (1/14/2019) at the Presidential Office in Jakarta, President Joko Widodo called for a thorough evaluation of the country’s early warning system. All early warning devices must be functioning properly in order to minimize the number of victims.

The President also asked National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Doni Monardo to monitor the rehabilitation and reconstruction processes in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), in Palu and Donggala, Central Sulawesi, and in Lampung and Banten provinces.

“Their implementation must be monitored to accelerate completion, especially in NTB and Central Sulawesi, before moving on to Banten and Lampung,” the President said.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, relevant ministers, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) head Dwikorita Karnawati and several earthquake and tsunami experts also attended the limited cabinet meeting.

The BNPB’s Doni said that many early warning devices were not functioning properly due to missing solar cells or batteries, which was why it was recommended that early warning equipment is treated as “national vital objects” under military guard.

“Without security, no matter how many devices we have, they will always end up missing or malfunctioning, due to either humans or the weather,” he said. “During the meeting, the President instructed the TNI commander to issue an order to secure the devices.”

Some of the devices would be repaired, and additional early warning devices would be installed in disaster-prone regions in accordance with suggestions from experts.

Research support

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) seismologist Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, who attended the meeting, said that mitigating disasters required better understanding of natural dynamics as the source of hazards, as well as social aspects of local populations the could potentially be affected by disasters. This required research funding and utilizing research findings in making policies.

“We have also recommended [to the President] the importance of forming a working committee of experts from various agencies and universities, as well as professionals, to support disaster preparedness policies,” said Danny.

Experts attending the meeting spoke about the tsunami hazard in the Sunda Strait and earthquake hazards along active fault lines under major cities, such as the Baribis fault near Jakarta.

Danny said studies had been made into several recent disasters, including the Sunda Strait tsunami and the Palu Koro fault earthquake. The problem was that these studies were not taken into consideration in disaster mitigation and development policies in those regions vulnerable to natural disasters. (INA/AIK)