Protecting RI's coastline

Protecting RI's coastline

In terms of protecting the coastline of Indonesia from tsunami
tragedies such as that which devastated Aceh, one must realize
that the entire West Sumatran coast, along with southern Java,
Bali, Lombok and West Nusa Tenggara plus Flores and East Nusa
Tenggara, Timor and northern coast of Papua could all be prone to
such calamities in the future.

This is because all of these areas are bound by major crustal
subduction zones. In total we are talking about a coastal fringe
of some 4,000-5,000 kilometers. It will be no easy task to
protect these areas, however as we have seen by the horrific
benchmark set by this natural disaster, we have a responsibility
to put a system in place that will protect future generations of
Indonesians and foreigners who either visit or live in this
country.

I have spent more than eight years working as a geologist in
this beautiful country and based on my experience throughout the
archipelago from Sumatra to Halmahera this country is centered on
one of the most structurally (faults) and volcanically active
regions in the world. I believe it would be necessary to set up
seismographs (which monitor movement of the earth's crust)
throughout the country, as well as regional centers to collate
this data, which in turn would then be sent back for analysis at
a National Research and Monitoring Center in Jakarta.

Although costly such an imitative would not only serve as a
base for scientific research but ultimately one day save the
lives of so many innocent people.

STEPHEN BARBER
Jakarta