Tanjung Benoa Is Recognized By The World As Having Tsunami Preparedness

Photo by Devon Daniel on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Deputy Governor of Bali Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati hopes that Tanjung Benoa Village, Badung can be an example for other regions in Indonesia in preparing for a tsunami disaster.

"Receiving international recognition from the Tsunami Ready Community is not the end of activities that make us dissolve in excessive pride and euphoria," said Oka Artha Ardhana in Tanjung Benoa, Badung, Saturday, May 28, quoted from Antara.

The Deputy Governor of Bali made this point when delivering his remarks on a series of activities to validate and hand over the International Tsunami Ready Community Certificate from UNESCO-IOC to Tanjung Benoa Village.

The certificate was handed over directly by the Director of the UNESCO Jakarta Office, Muhamed Djelid, accompanied by the Head of the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati and the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Unit Denis Chang Seng to Tanjung Benoa Village Head I Wayan Sudiana.

"This international recognition is the beginning of continuous work to create a responsive and resilient society in dealing with the threat of a tsunami disaster," said the deputy governor who is usually called Cok Ace.

In the future, he continued, Tanjung Benoa Village is expected to become a "role model" or an example for other coastal villages throughout Indonesia.

"Of course, those who replicate disaster values and knowledge will then be synergized with local wisdom in their respective regions," he said.

Cok Ace added that Bali has many values of local wisdom that can be applied in disaster risk reduction by prioritizing efforts to maintain the sanctity and harmony of nature and its contents.

"This has been translated into the vision of the Development of Bali Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali which has the meaning of maintaining the harmony of Bali's nature and its contents to create a prosperous and happy life of Balinese manners and gumi and niskala (physical and spiritual)," he said.

The international recognition of the Tsunami Ready Community is proof of good practice in reducing disaster risk in Indonesia to the world.

The Tsunami Ready Community of Tanjung Benoa Village is expected to be a supporter for the promotion of tourism in Indonesia and Bali in particular, which of course can be beneficial for the recovery of tourism and the Balinese economy, so that Bali's disaster resilience is built.

"Natural disasters can never be predicted in terms of time and place. Therefore, disaster preparedness and alertness and emergency response are mandatory," said Cok Ace.

Director of UNESCO Jakarta Office, Muhamed Djelid in his speech said that socialization so that awareness grows in every individual requires real work, not just theory.

"Tanjung Benoa has indicators that are divided into three major categories, namely assessment, readiness, and good response," he said.

These include mapping and establishing tsunami hazard zones, estimation of the number of people at risk in tsunami hazard zones, identification of economic, infrastructure, political and social resources, as well as easy-to-understand tsunami evacuation maps.

Furthermore, tsunami information including signs displayed to the public, affordability, availability and distribution of public awareness and education resources, as well as outreach or education activities are held at least three times a year.

In addition, community tsunami drills are carried out at least every two years, community tsunami emergency response plans are in place, capacity is available to manage emergency response operations during a tsunami, and means to disseminate official 24-hour tsunami warnings to the public in a timely manner.