Still Many Natural Disasters, Puan Maharani: Must Immediately Find Solutions
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, stated that the public must promptly receive solutions amid the ongoing occurrence of numerous natural disasters in recent times, especially those that are recurring.
Puan, as per a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4/2026), mentioned that nearly 700 natural disasters have occurred over the past three months.
This situation demonstrates the continued vulnerability of society to natural disasters.
“With the persistence of numerous natural disasters, particularly recurring ones, this must be viewed as a form of public vulnerability to natural disasters that has not shifted significantly and requires immediate solutions,” said Puan.
“The issue can no longer be simply understood as an accumulation of seasonal natural events, but also as an indication that many living spaces for the public remain vulnerable to repeated natural disaster disruptions,” she added.
If recurring floods continue to dominate, then issues of water management, environmental capacity, and the preparedness of residential areas have not yet progressed as quickly as the changing risks faced by the public.
In this context, according to Puan, disaster occurrence data should not merely serve as weekly statistics but must form the basis for more incisive corrections in the most frequently affected regions.
“And what must be most protected in situations of recurring disasters is the ability of families to survive after the disaster has passed. This must be a priority for the government,” she emphasised.
Therefore, she assessed that measures for handling disasters are insufficient if based solely on the speed of initial assistance, but also on the state’s capacity to ensure that the public does not repeatedly return to the same point of vulnerability.
“Ultimately, the most important thing to safeguard is for the public not to feel they are living in a continuous cycle of destruction without any real change,” she concluded.