Fajarasia.co – Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati stated that zero victims or no fatalities in disasters will never be realized if early warning and early action are not in line.
“That is the formula if you want zero victims. Early warning is a technical aspect that continues to require technological innovation, it is in the upstream part of the system coordinated by the BMKG,” said Dwikorita in a written statement in Jakarta, Saturday.
Meanwhile, early action is a socio-cultural aspect that is nationally coordinated by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), but local governments are at the forefront of taking early action.
“Both aspects of upstream – downstream or technical – cultural must be integrated, connected pervasively, continuously, so that disaster cases without casualties can actually be realized,” he said.
Indonesia faces the challenges of disaster and climate change that are increasingly complex, dynamic, and full of uncertainty. Therefore, the zero victim formula must be a reference for steps in dealing with the threat of natural disasters.
Preparedness, said Dwikorita, is not only at the government level, but must also be rooted in all Indonesian people. This is no exaggeration due to the fact that Indonesia is a disaster-prone country because it is traversed by the Pacific Circum or better known as the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Mediterranean Belt.
Even Indonesia is in the Collision Zone of Active Tectonic Plates. This fact makes Indonesia prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.
“Not to mention the fact that Indonesia is a maritime continental country located in the tropics, so it is vulnerable to storms, typhoons, and tropical cyclones that often occur in the equatorial region, especially those close to the Pacific Ocean. Also, Indonesia is a country with heavy rainfall. high,” he said.
There are many disaster threats, therefore the mitigation must be carried out in a structured, systematic and massive manner. Literacy and education related to disaster mitigation for the community must also be improved.
“This is our big homework together. Because disasters always come suddenly, don’t wait for when we are ready,” he said again.
On the occasion, Dwikorita also mentioned the Domestic Content Level (TKDN) in the development of the BMKG early warning system.
He said, so far BMKG has independently made various main operational equipment for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics. These products have also been tested for their ability and quality as well as registered patents.
“It’s just that BMKG is still like a tailor, because the products are made according to need, not yet mass-produced and commercialized,” said Dwikorita.
He gave an example of BMKG’s products, including the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) which was once installed on the third runway of Soekarno Hatta Airport and at Yogyakarta International Airport. AWOS is equipped with a number of sensors such as temperature and humidity sensors, pressure sensors, rainfall sensors, wind direction and speed sensors, and solar radiation sensors.
In addition, the BMKG has also produced an intensity meter that functions to detect shocks in certain equipment due to earthquakes, not measuring the strength of an earthquake. Even though it was made by BMKG, he added, since it was installed and to this day it has remained fine and the data produced is always precise and accurate.*****
