BNPB Urges NTB Regional Heads to Conduct Disaster Risk Assessments
Mataram (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has asked regional heads in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) to draw up disaster risk assessments in order to reduce casualties should a disaster strike.
“Because the cost of rehabilitation and reconstruction is far greater,” said BNPB chief Lieutenant General Suharyanto, speaking to journalists after a coordination meeting (Rakor) on drought and the integration of disaster risk assessments into regional development planning documents in Mataram on Friday.
He acknowledged that NTB falls within a high-risk disaster zone. According to BNPB data, over the ten-year period from 2015 to 2025, the region experienced 61 disasters, behind only West Java, Central Java and East Java.
“That is if we speak of Indonesia’s geographic position. So NTB is the fourth highest in Indonesia. That is already very high,” he said.
He revealed that of the ten regencies and cities in NTB, Bima Regency has recorded the most frequent disasters over the past decade, with 12 disaster events recorded there.
“So we hope the Governor, together with the regents and mayors, must carry out disaster risk mapping in their respective areas,” Suharyanto stressed.
In addition, Suharyanto said the whole of NTB falls into the yellow category for drought hazard risk. More seriously, 50 districts in NTB have already been struck by drought.
He added that drought management in NTB is relatively straightforward, meaning weather modification can be carried out in the province, while the condition of NTB’s forests is not overly concerning.
“That is why there is a presidential instruction covering only six provinces prioritised for forest and land fires, because the ones that are hard to extinguish are in Sumatra and Kalimantan,” he said.
BNPB data shows all areas of NTB fall into the moderate and high drought risk categories. Four areas are at moderate risk, namely Mataram City, West Lombok, North Lombok and Central Lombok, whilst the rest are classified as high risk.
Meanwhile, NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal admitted that two areas in the province have high rates of forest degradation, namely Dompu and Bima regencies. This forest damage also contributes to the elevated disaster risk in those two areas.
“We must stop being firefighters. The problem in Dompu and Bima is forests that are already damaged. We will later discuss this with the Regents of Bima and Dompu to restore the forests there,” he said.
According to him, forest restoration in the two areas must be carried out urgently, because if it is not addressed promptly, any form of assistance provided will be exhausted along the way.
“Disasters there are already on the calendar. So we must all carry out reforestation together. That is why this must be noted for us to fix collectively,” he said.