Prabowo orders disaster mitigation masterplan as Indonesia grapples\nwith multiple crises<\/p>\n
Indonesia is tackling several crises, including the aftermath of a\ndeadly earthquake, heightened volcanic activity and persistent forest\nfires.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Monday (Sep 7)\nordered the development of a comprehensive disaster mitigation\nmasterplan, as the country grapples with several crises, including the\naftermath of a deadly earthquake, heightened volcanic activity and\npersistent forest fires.<\/p>\n
The government is overseeing recovery efforts on Flores Island in\nEast Nusa Tenggara province following an earthquake that killed over 100\npeople, while more recently, heightened activity at Mount Anak Krakatau\nhas disrupted around 3,000 flights and affected an estimated 341,000\npassengers, local media reported.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is also battling forest and land fires, particularly in\nKalimantan and Sumatra, with haze spreading to neighbouring Malaysia,\nBrunei and as far as the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Prabowo said that the archipelago\u2019s geographic location on the\nPacific Ring of Fire has made it highly susceptible to natural hazards.\nThis, he stressed, has made it necessary to make significant\nimprovements in the government\u2019s disaster preparedness and response\ncapabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our fate as a country situated on the Ring of Fire,\ncompelling us to remain prepared for such situations at all times,\u201d\nPrabowo said during a virtual cabinet meeting on disaster management on\nMonday, as quoted by national news agency Antara.<\/p>\n
The president said he has instructed his cabinet and relevant\nofficials to preposition disaster management resources and equipment\nwell before incidents occur.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government also plans to increase the use of aircraft\nfor weather modification operations and explore the deployment of\nheavy-lift drones for aerial firefighting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are preparing for mitigation, we must not wait for incidents to\nhappen. We must prepare long beforehand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To support these measures, Prabowo said that his administration will\nscale up the budget allocation for disaster management.<\/p>\n
He also ordered the procurement of additional helicopters, water\npumps, fire engines and small excavators tailored for rural areas prone\nto forest fires.<\/p>\n
During the meeting on Monday, Prabowo also requested comprehensive\nprogress reports on the ongoing disaster response efforts in Flores\nIsland, at Mount Anak Krakatau and in fire-affected regions from both\nlocal governments as well as the relevant ministries and national\nagencies.<\/p>\n
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Aug 15 in Indonesia\u2019s Flores Island\nkilled 129 people, according to Indonesia\u2019s National Disaster Management\nAgency on Sep 4. More than 98,000 homes were damaged, reported Metro\nTV.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, eight airports began halting operations over the weekend\nafter Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150km from Jakarta, erupted late on\nFriday, spewing lava and volcanic ash.<\/p>\n
As of Tuesday morning, Indonesia\u2019s main international gateway - the\nSoekarno-Hatta International Airport - as well as five others are up and\nrunning again. Two of the original eight airports that were closed have\nnot reopened.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/prabowo-orders-disaster-mitigation-masterplan-as-indonesia-grapples-with-multiple-crises-1788843028", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }