Jakarta vulnerable to earthquakes, expert says

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)