BNPB: Early Warning System in Aceh Strengthens Coordination at RT/RW Level

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) emphasises that the implementation of the newly inaugurated flood Early Warning System (EWS) in Banda Aceh City is designed to strengthen the chain of emergency response coordination down to the RT and RW levels.

Head of the BNPB Centre for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication, Abdul Muhari, in Jakarta on Monday, explained that the integration of field sensor data with the monitoring dashboard allows officials at the sub-district and village levels to receive information more quickly for evacuation purposes.

The system is supported by five flood monitoring sensor units placed at strategic points, such as Taman Putroe Phang, Keutapang, Indrapuri, and the KM 0 area.

Data from these points will be directly connected to the dashboard at the Banda Aceh City Communication, Informatics, and Statistics Office.

With this integrated information flow, RT and RW heads can immediately direct residents to evacuate as soon as officers issue instructions based on automatic identification from water level sensors and surveillance cameras (CCTV).

“Accurate and integrated data support enables faster and more targeted decision-making processes in emergency situations at the grassroots level,” he stated.

Abdul added that the placement of an early warning siren at the Baiturrahman Sub-District Office also aims to provide wider sound coverage for warnings to residential areas in the affected regions.

This technology, which will be fully installed by the end of 2025, is part of BNPB’s efforts to ensure that disaster management command remains unbroken from the central managerial level to field officers.

“The speed of delivering early warning information to the public greatly depends on the regional apparatus’s readiness to respond to the data generated by this system,” said Abdul.