Anticipate Earthquake Victims, Garut Will Underlie The Settlement Rules

PVMBG officers checked the condition of residents' houses damaged by the earthquake in Cisarua Village, Samarang District, Garut Regency, West Java. (ANTARA)

Garut Deputy Regent Helmi Budiman said his party agreed with a recommendation from the Center for Volcanology, Mitigation and Geological Disasters (PVMBG) to make a regional regulation (perda) regarding restrictions on house construction in earthquake-prone areas in Garut Regency, West Java to avoid disaster risk. "I welcome you positively if there is a regional regulation, for settlements, especially dangerous areas," Helmi Budiman was quoted as saying by ANTARA, Wednesday, February 8. He said PVMBG has. conducting research on areas affected by the earthquake, the activities of Sesar Garsela in Pasirwangi and Samarang sub-districts, one of which is the area that needs to be watched out for from the potential for earthquakes.Recommendations to make a regional regulation to limit the settlements of residents, he said, are good proposals and must be followed up by the executive and the Garut DPRD. "It is actually good, if it (the restriction on housing development) enters the regional regulation," said Helmi. conducting a study to determine the location where the house will be built is safe from potential disasters or not. If there are residents who will build houses in disaster-prone areas, said Helmi, the land can be banned and the land can be exchanged for other locations that are suitable for construction of houses, while those that are prone to disasters can be used as gardens. "If the land problem is, we can chat with the village head, maybe there is land that can be exchanged for gardens, for houses, right," he said. Perda itu bisa mengatasi persoalan pembangunan rumah warga yang lebih teratur, dan terhinjang dari bencana alam.Upaya ke depan untuk melanjuti usulan perda itu, kata dia, terlebih dahulu akan dikaji oleh Dinas Perumahan dan Permukiman, yang nanti usulan perdanya bisa inisiatif legislatif maupun eksekutif."Later bisa koordinasi dengan Perkim, inisiatif dari ekseksekutif atau legislatif, tutanya harus ada," kata Helmi.Sebelumnya, Penyelitik Bumi Madya PVMBG Badan Geologi, Kementerian ESDM, Supartoyo stated that the government must have increased efforts to reduce the risk of natural disasters, especially those in earthquake-prone areas in Pasirwangi and Samarang sub-districts. Furthermore, he said, spatial arrangements such as regulating residential areas so as not to be in the area. potential disasters, and finally make a regional regulation to take action and regulate communities in areas of potential earthquake disaster. "It must be made a regional regulation related to what, say activities in earthquake areas, there must be a regional regulation, if there is no local regulation, it is difficult to take action," he said.