Many Tsunami Sirens Are Damaged, BMKG Will Replace With Cheap Versions

Maintenance of tsunami sirens (doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) acknowledged that many tsunami disaster sirens were problematic. For this reason, BMKG will replace it with simpler technology and more affordable or cheaper maintenance costs.

"So far, one of the obstacles in the operation and maintenance of tsunami sirens is related to the high cost and spare parts that are no longer produced," said BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati, as quoted by Antara, Tuesday, November 17.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has been building tsunami sirens at a fairly high cost and donating them to local governments for operation and maintenance.

However, according to BNPB data, of the 158 sirens installed in 2013 to 2014, only 58 are still operating. One hundred other sirens are no longer functioning due to the limited capacity of the local government to maintain them.

BMKG from 2008 to 2015 has installed 52 tsunami sirens, six of which have been granted to the West Sumatra Provincial Government and nine other sirens have been granted to the Bali Provincial Government.

According to a report from the West Sumatra Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), all sirens given to the provincial government can no longer be used because they are not properly maintained.

BMKG is currently in the process of replacing 19 sirens whose operational life has expired and spare parts are no longer available in the market or in manufacturers. BMKG plans to install a simplified version of the siren to replace it.

"The simplified siren was successfully tested in Labuan Bajo on November 12, 2020," said Dwikorita.

The hope is that tsunami sirens with simpler technology that comply with the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) can be easier to operate and cheaper to maintain.