Why Disaster Risk Maps Are Often Overlooked in Development

Indonesia is widely regarded as a country with a high level of disaster risk. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire means a variety of natural hazards—earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and landslides—pose threats across many regions. To anticipate these risks, the government has in fact developed a disaster risk map based on scientific studies. In practice, however, development often continues in areas that are scientifically highly vulnerable to disasters. Selly Andriany Gantina, a member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PDI-P faction, said that normatively, Indonesia actually has a sufficiently comprehensive legal framework for disaster management. This is regulated in Law Number 24 of 2007 on Disaster Management, which sets out the roles of the central government, local governments, and the obligation to incorporate mitigation into development planning. Yet, the greatest challenge lies in policy implementation at the local level. ‘In practice, the biggest challenge lies in the consistency of implementation at the local level, which has not applied the disaster risk maps,’ she said. As a result, development activities still take place in areas that are scientifically highly vulnerable to disasters.