BMKG Reveals That RI Has 553 Seismic Sensor Network Units For Earthquake-Tsunami Detection

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the number of monitoring stations for seismic activity or seismometers in Indonesia currently reaches 553 units that function to detect earthquakes and support tsunami early warning systems.

"When the Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System was inaugurated in 2008, the number of seismic monitoring equipment was only 160 units. Now there are 553 seismometer units," said BMKG Seismologist Pepen Supendi when met at the Technical Guidance activity to Improve the Effectiveness of Disaster Risk Communication in Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Tuesday, confiscated by Antara.

Over the past six years the number of seismographs has increased rapidly from only 372 units in 2019 to 411 units in 2020, then increasing to 428 units in 2021 and to 438 units in 2022, then 533 seismograph units in 2023 and increasing to 553 units in 2024.

Pepen said the number of seismic monitoring sensors during the last two windu was much better than the initial period of the tsunami early warning system in 2008.

According to him, the existence of seismic activity monitoring stations is increasingly making the ability of detectability and accuracy in detecting earthquakes and knowing the potential for tsunamis to be better.

"No matter how small the earthquakes can be detected, including those in the West Java Back-Arc Thrust fault and yesterday's earthquake (in Bekasi)," Pepen said.

Seismograph equipment installed by BMKG stretches from Aceh to Papua to detect and record ground movements caused by the earthquake to provide important information related to earthquake early warning and tsunami.

Seismic stations are placed far from crowds and human activity in order to produce accurate monitoring data.

Furthermore, Pepen said that Indonesia, which is on the verge of four tectonic plates, has consequences for the existence of 13 megathrusts and 295 active faults, so Indonesia needs to have more seismic stations.

"If we talk ideally, we can reflect on Japan, the Japanese area is only 1/5 of the territory of Indonesia, while (the number) of their equipment is five times as much," he concluded.