MPR Deputy Speaker Urges Public Preparedness Amid Rising Seismic Activity

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat has urged the development of public preparedness for disasters through comprehensive mitigation education. She made the remarks during an online discussion on the implications of increased seismic activity in the Pacific and anticipatory measures for Indonesia on Wednesday. “Anticipatory measures against the threat of disasters in the country must be carried out comprehensively, ranging from strengthening infrastructure and optimising technology to ensuring public preparedness,” she stated. She noted that entering mid-2026, seismic activity along the Pacific Ring of Fire has shown high dynamics, marked by a series of large-magnitude earthquakes affecting various regions and threatening communities. Therefore, she stressed that the government must take anticipatory steps by preparing infrastructure and enhancing public understanding of how to deal with disaster impacts through various efforts. She also encouraged strengthened cross-sector collaboration to build public preparedness. She added that ongoing seismic activity must be anticipated with adaptive community resilience mechanisms. The discussion featured Director of Earthquakes and Tsunamis at the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency Wijayanto, Senior Tsunami Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency Widjo Kongko, and Senior Disaster Analyst at the National Disaster Management Agency Maryanto. Wijayanto explained that earthquake sources in the country originate from two events: plate subduction (megathrust) and active faults. As earthquakes cannot be predicted, public preparedness is essential. He stated that anticipatory measures must be consistently implemented by utilising disaster-prone maps, strengthening disaster information systems, and developing mitigation strategies that are easily understood by the public. Widjo Kongko noted that 60 per cent of tsunamis are triggered by tectonic earthquakes, while 22 per cent are caused by volcanic earthquakes. He highlighted that a major challenge facing Indonesia is that 60 per cent of its cities are located on tsunami-prone coastlines, including vital industrial and tourism areas. He emphasised that public understanding of hazards and risks, along with a robust early warning system, must be a serious concern for all parties as part of building community disaster preparedness. Maryanto explained that disasters in Indonesia throughout 2026 have been dominated by hydrometeorological events, although geological disasters such as earthquakes have a greater impact. He stressed that logistics are a crucial element in disaster response, especially since earthquake impacts often damage infrastructure, making effective on-the-ground coordination essential.