There Is A Potential For Megathrust, Minister Of Industry Agus Explains Mitigation Steps In The Industrial Sector

The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) said mitigation of the threat of a megathrust earthquake for industry players had been carried out since the beginning of the granting of land permits for industrial estates.

Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that his party carried out mitigation selectively establishing areas for industries that were considered safe. This is done to minimize the impact of production operations.

"We have mitigated by establishing areas that we consider not necessarily 100 percent appropriate, but we consider the area or land to be relatively much safer when we give permission for industrial estate development," Agus said at a Joint Working Meeting (Raker) of Commission VII DPR RI at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday, August 26.

In this case, Agus said, the Ministry of Industry has implemented land stipulation standards. Therefore, his party is also careful in granting permits for the development of industrial estates that are safe from natural disasters.

"We ensure that the permit is in accordance with the estimates of the possible disaster, be it forest fires, floods and disasters that were conveyed by Mrs. Roro, which in 2024 is predicted to occur megathrust," he said.

Previously, Member of Commission VII DPR RI Golkar Faction Dyah Roro Esti warned the Ministry of Industry to provide protection to industry players for potential megathrust earthquakes.

According to him, as an industry coach, the Ministry of Industry also needs to ensure that the national industry has good disaster mitigation and ensures the safety of workers.

"I think if there is a warning from the Ministry of Industry to the industry, it can be a step to deal with it if it really happens (megathrust)," he explained.

The Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati asked the local government (Pemda) to prepare a safe spatial layout and be able to accommodate the community as a mitigation effort if a megathrust earthquake occurs in Indonesia.

"How to prepare the community and local government before an earthquake with high strength that resulted in a tsunami. The local government has been invited to jointly prepare the infrastructure, the system, is there an evacuation route, an evacuation shelter," said Dwikorita Karnawati as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 20.

Then, vulnerable zones such as areas near sea and coast should be vacated and not established by many buildings.

"The regional governments are also expected to prepare spatial planning there. On the beach it is limited, buildings should not be built. If the hotel is built, the hotel must be ready to face (Megathrust), the building is required to be able to withstand 8.5 magnitudes," he explained.