BMKG: InaTEWS Can Now Issue Tsunami Warnings in Under Three Minutes

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has stated that the Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System (InaTEWS) is now capable of issuing potential tsunami information in less than three minutes after an earthquake occurs.

Wenisa, Head of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Early Warning Team at BMKG, said this capability is the result of gradual development since the Aceh tsunami in 2004 and the Pangandaran tsunami in 2006. “The journey to build a tsunami early warning system is not a short process. Currently, with technological developments and the addition of observation networks, our capabilities continue to improve,” Wenisa said during a webinar commemorating 20 years of the Pangandaran tsunami on Thursday (16/7).

She explained that before 1990, Indonesia still used manual and analogue systems, meaning earthquake information could only be delivered in one to two days. During the 1991–2007 period, the delivery time improved to around three hours. After InaTEWS was inaugurated in 2008, BMKG was able to issue earthquake information and tsunami early warnings in under five minutes, and this has now been further improved to around three minutes.

According to Wenisa, BMKG is currently supported by more than 500 seismograph stations connected to an automatic analysis system. When an earthquake is detected, BMKG will determine whether the earthquake has the potential to cause a tsunami. If so, validation is carried out using a tide gauge network before the information is disseminated through various channels.

She added that the tsunami early warning system is a collaborative effort involving at least 22 ministries and agencies. BMKG acts as the coordinator of the upstream component, which handles detection and analysis, while the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and local governments form the downstream component, which relays information and directs public evacuation.

Wenisa stressed that the main objective of InaTEWS is not only to deliver information quickly but to ensure the public can respond correctly. “What we hope for is a correct and rapid response from the community so that we can reduce the danger and risk from earthquakes and tsunamis,” she said.

In addition to strengthening the monitoring network, BMKG is also developing technological independence through the Sistem Merah Putih or Garuda programme, so that the early warning system can be built and developed by national resources.