Govt to map out disaster-prone areas

Leony Aurora , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) and the National Coordination Agency for Surveying and Mapping (Bakosurtanal) are working together to develop maps of potential disaster areas.

The two agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding here on Thursday to mark their cooperation, which includes the development of geodynamic maps and tide models.

The agencies have already started working on a map of potential disaster areas for Java, and expect to finish it in June.

After these maps are completed for all of Indonesia, they plan to follow them up with maps providing historical information and more data showing new disaster spots. Most of this data is cyclic and could show disaster trends, Bakosurtanal head Rudolf Matindas said after the signing ceremony.

"These maps should be used by the local governments at regency level to protect citizens," he said.

The Indonesian archipelago is located in an area dubbed the "Ring of Fire" for its high rate of volcanic and tectonic activity. Landslides and floods are also common, apparent in the annual flooding of Jakarta. Many floods are caused by worsening environmental damage, like deforestation.

"People living in an area are usually aware of its disaster potential. However, they don't use this knowledge, preferring to rely on fate," Matindas said.

In an areas prone to earthquakes, buildings with certain standards should be built, he said.

At least 37 people were killed in an earthquake in Nabire, Papua, in February. Most were buried under houses not designed to withstand earth movements.

"These maps should be widely distributed and be the yardsticks for development and environmental planning," Matindas said.

BMG head Gunawan Ibrahim said the maps would also be helpful to laymen as they were easy to read and showed information clearly. These maps would be used to support the current early- warning system, he said.

Gunawan denied allegations the government often ignored early warnings of natural disasters issued by his agency.

"Perhaps some think the information (BMG gives) is not urgent enough to be disseminated," he said.