BNPB Highlights Weak Early Warning Landslides In Prone Areas

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) highlighted the lack of a technology-based landslide early warning system in most areas, so that the community's response was still very dependent on manual identification.

Head of the BNPB Disaster Information and Communication Data Center, Abdul Muhari, said that early warning disasters still tend to rely on rain forecasts that do not always reflect the potential for landslides.

Longsor di Cilacap terjadi saat hujan tinggi, tapi tidak ekstrem. Artinya indiksi tidak bisa hanya curah hujan, kata dia dilansir ANTARA, Senin, 17 November.

Landslides up to one kilometer long from the center of the collapse that hit Cibeunying Village, Majenang, Cilacap, Central Java, Friday (14/11) are examples of the existence of a technology-based landslide early warning system that is urgently needed.

BNPB confirmed that as of Monday night, of the 23 residents reported missing, 16 victims were found dead and seven people are still being searched.

He explained that vulnerable hilly areas really need a soil crack monitoring system -- a simple sensor that can warn of the potential for faster residents.

BNPB disaster technology experts assess that vulnerable districts in Central Java such as Banjarnegara, Cilacap, and Wonosobo have long needed the strengthening of the system.

However, he revealed, budget constraints and geographical conditions make most areas not yet install this monitoring technology and only rely on daily rainfall forecasts from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

"The development of multi-danger early warnings will be the focus of coordination across ministries," he said.