Bangka Belitung drafts governor regulation on natural disaster management

The Bangka Belitung Islands Provincial Government is drafting a governor regulation on natural disaster management to strengthen disaster response coordination in the region. “We have held a working meeting to draft the governor regulation regarding contingency plans for handling floods, forest and land fires, drought, and tornadoes,” said Budi Utama, Head of the Bangka Belitung Islands Regional Disaster Management Agency, in Pangkalpinang on Tuesday. He stated that the draft regulation is part of the provincial government’s strategy to anticipate and manage floods, forest and land fires, drought, and tornadoes, especially during the extreme dry season of 2026, which is expected to be longer and drier. “Since the establishment of the Bangka Belitung Islands Province, we have never had a governor regulation on natural disaster management,” he said. “With this regulation, the governor will divide the main tasks and functions of each regional apparatus organisation and related agency in disaster management,” he added. He explained that the disaster command will be led directly by Governor Hidayat Arsani, with the Regional Disaster Management Agency serving as the secretariat to strengthen the mitigation, emergency response, and rehabilitation systems in disaster-affected areas. “So far, we have not had standard operating procedures for disaster mitigation and management. With this governor regulation, every regional apparatus organisation and related agency will have clear authority according to their main tasks and functions, including the division of responsibilities in disaster management,” he said.