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Earthquakes, Indonesia's Main Natural Hazard
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic country is located between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. Indonesia is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire and makes it susceptible to many natural threats that are often catastrophic in nature. On average, at least one major natural disaster has occurred in Indonesia every month since the 2004 tsunami including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and events caused by climate change such as droughts and disastrous floods. The country records upwards of 3,000 natural disasters across the archipelago in any given year. On average, 90% or more of these events are hydro-meteorological (e.g., storms, tornadoes, and floods); however, the remainder of events – earthquakes and tsunamis – are usually more deadly and more damaging. In any given decade, the country can suffer disastrous events that cost thousands of lives and displace tens of thousands of people while the economic losses can total US$3 billion annually.
Earthquakes are among the biggest threats in terms of natural disasters in Indonesia as they come suddenly and can strike in populous areas, such as the bigger cities of Jakarta and Surabaya. The eastern and western portions of Indonesia’s most densely populated island, Java, as well as the coastal regions of Sumatra, parts of western and northern Sulawesi, and southeastern Papua islands are all highly vulnerable to earthquakes and its sometimes equally, if not more devastating aftermath, tsunamis. Earthquakes with a magnitude of around five on the Richter scale occur almost on a daily basis in Indonesia but usually cause no, or little damage. When the magnitude of the quake registers at more than six on the Richter scale, then it can potentially do a lot of damage. On average, Indonesia experiences about one earthquake per year with a magnitude of six, or higher, that causes casualties as well as damage to the infrastructure or environment.
Earthquakes form a constant threat in Indonesia due to the meeting of major tectonic plates and volcanic activity in the region. Its geographic location along the boundaries of four major tectonic plates namely the Eurasian, Indo-Australian, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates accounts for the restive seismic activity in the region. Geologists are currently waiting for the next "great earthquake" in Indonesia due to the building up of stress on one of the earth's great plate boundaries to the west of Sumatra (the collision between the Indian Ocean Plate and the Asian Plate), similar to the disastrous 9.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred on 26 December 2004 and caused a devastating tsunami. Since 1977, twenty-four earthquakes with magnitude of 8 or more have been recorded in and around Indonesia. The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (M9.1) was the largest. More than 1,000 people were killed in seven of those earthquakes. Additionally 10,000 people were killed by the earthquakes that occurred in 1815 and 1917 in Bali. The earthquakes that greatly impacted the Indonesian economy were the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (M9.1), the 2006 Central Java Earthquake, and the 2009 Sumatra Earthquake (M7.5). The high number of Indonesian casualties involved in a big quake is partly inflicted by the bad state of some housing facilities and infrastructure. This is why a moderate earthquake can in fact result in many casualties, the collapse of many buildings and the displacement of many people. It is then recommended that residents of communities that are prone to earthquakes, particularly those along the coasts consider relocating to areas farther away inland that are away from congested or populous neighborhoods and cities, preferably in elevated regions to avoid the impact of building collapses and earthquake-induced tsunamis.
Visible impacts of natural hazards are loss of lives, massive displacement, destruction of houses and public facility buildings, contaminated water and sanitation, food supply shortage, and disrupted road access. The indirect effects of the disasters are increased disease patterns and stress symptoms, loss of income sources, increased unemployment, and increased poverty rate. To avoid these catastrophic scenarios, various mitigation measures are needed to prevent massive loss of life and property in the event of powerful earthquakes in Indonesia.
Reforming the country’s laws, policies, and institutions to better manage disaster risk and management is first and foremost. The 2007 Indonesian disaster management law laid the foundations for the National Disaster Management Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana, BNPB), which is the country’s central governing body for all disaster-related activities. It coordinates preparedness, prevention, mitigation, and response, and it directs and manages national disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster risk mitigation (DRM) efforts. Within the scientific community, the country’s geological agency, the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation needs to continuously monitor active fault lines; to update seismic hazard maps; to revise and continuously update building and infrastructure codes for homes, bridges, dams, harbors, and other special structures; to develop microzonation maps for big cities like Jakarta; and to develop design guidelines for tsunami vertical evacuation. Local and central governments can embrace innovation. Central government and local governments in Indonesia must focus on transforming the way houses are built, including checking earthquake preparedness when issuing building permits. Socialization of communities who live in geological hazard zones, the objective of which is to enhance awareness and knowledge for communities for preparation and evacuation measures in the event of an earthquake is also important. Using vegetation such as planting of mangroves along the coasts can lessen the impact of tsunamis that have the potential of inundating coastal communities.
References:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/1087/1/012011/pdf
https://www.indonesia-investments.com/business/risks/natural-disasters/item243
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