Jakarta vulnerable to earthquakes, expert says

JAKARTA (JP): A leading geologist warns that Jakarta, home to almost 10 million people, is vulnerable to the effects of major earthquakes although it is located a safe distance from the spots most prone to tectonic quakes.

Suparka S. warned that even small tremors in these vulnerable spots could be very destructive because of the high density of Jakarta's population and its multitude of high-rise buildings.

Suparka, who heads the Research and Development Center for Geotechnology of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, told a seminar on Wednesday that in geological terms, Jakarta is located in "Zone 3."

Areas classified under "Zone 1" are the spots most vulnerable to earthquakes because they are located right above the meeting points of tectonic plates.

Liwa in Western Lampung, the site of a major earthquake which killed over 200 people in February, is in Zone 1, and so is Tarutung in North Sumatra. Other cities like Bandung, Garut and Semarang are in Zone 3, while Singapore is in Zone 6.

Suparka, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Geologists, said the areas stretching from the Bukit Barisan range in Sumatra to the southern coast of Java and then to Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Irian Jaya constitute the "red line" of areas vulnerable to earthquakes.

He noted with concern that no action has been taken to mitigate the impacts of earthquakes although Indonesia was hit by four major quakes in the space of two months early this year. He was referring to the quakes in Nabire, Irian Jaya; Halmahera, Maluku, off Bengkulu, and in Liwa.

M.T. Zen of the National Agency for Research and Application of Technology, agreed that people who live in quake-prone areas should be informed and encouraged to take precautions.

Zen said the government should compel people in densely populated cities like Jakarta and Bandung to construct buildings which are quake resistant, recalling that such measures have already been taken in the United States, Japan and Singapore.

Muchlisin Aries of the National Agency for Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) said his agency, in cooperation with several advanced countries, has applied remote sensing technology in order to map all the areas prone to natural disasters across the country.

"And now, we have the satellite images of all areas prone to natural disasters but the agency is not in charge of disseminating them to the public," he said.

He suggested a national team be set up to deal with mitigating the impact of natural disasters in the country.

"The team is to at least give early an warning before any occurrence of a natural disaster," he said. (rms)