DPR Explains Indicators for Declaring National and Regional Disaster Status at MK

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The House of Representatives (DPR), represented by Commission III member Sarifuddin Sudding, explained the classification of disaster declarations under Law No. 24 of 2007 on Disaster Management.

This was conveyed by Sudding during the hearing of Case No. 261/PUU-XXIII/2025, with the agenda of hearing DPR’s testimony in the Constitutional Court (MK) courtroom, Jakarta, on Tuesday (7/4/2026).

“The content of the Disaster Management Law regulates the determination of disaster status and levels, which requires certain qualifications or indicators as the basis for its determination,” said Sudding virtually on Tuesday.

In discussing the Disaster Management Law, the DPR emphasised that the indicators for determining disaster status are not solely based on the number of victims.

“Instead, they also encompass losses to property, damage to facilities and infrastructure, the scope of the affected area, as well as impacts on social life, the economy, and national development,” said Sudding.

Furthermore, Article 7 paragraph (2) of the Disaster Management Law has established clear, rational, and measurable parameters in decision-making for determining disaster status.

These indicators include the number of victims; property losses; damage to facilities and infrastructure; the scope of the affected area; and impacts on social and economic life.

The five indicators mentioned in the provision are limitative in nature and must be considered comprehensively, not optionally.

The determination of a disaster emergency status is a governmental decision/policy with constitutional dimensions, as it directly implies the command system, mobilisation of resources, use of budgets both from the state budget (APBN) and regional budgets (APBD), as well as the implementation of access facilitations.

“Such assessments serve as the basis for the government and regional governments to determine the level of emergency status, whether at the district/city, provincial, or national level,” said Sudding.

“Thus, the determination of disaster status and level is a policy decision that must be based on factual data, comprehensive technical analysis, and thorough identification of all indicators determined by the law,” he added.

Previously, seven individuals filed a judicial review against the articles regulating the declaration of national disaster status.