Disaster Management Should Not Be Partial, IAGI Promotes Regulation of Geology Law

The joint SAR team during the search process for the landslide victim in Pasirlangu Village, Cisarua District, West Bandung Regency, West Java, Tuesday (27/1/2026). ANTARA/Rubby Jovan

JAKARTA - Disaster management in Indonesia must be carried out comprehensively, not partially. The lack of 'diagnosis' even causes mitigation and corrective steps to be ineffective.

Stressing the recent disasters, the Chairman of the Indonesian Association of Geologists (IAGI) Budi Santoso emphasized that there were many factors that could cause disasters. Geological conditions, including activities in areas where disasters occur, should be considered.

"So for example, this earth with geological conditions in this case, whether it is rocks, whether it is soil, with certain conditions and properties, of course it has a certain carrying capacity or strength as well. The point is, there are areas that naturally have carrying capacity that is not the same as one with the other. For example, metamorphic rocks, volcanic rocks in our terminology or rocks that have experienced very intense weathering, they will be more prone to imbalance when burdened with something on top of it," he said.

IAGI encourages the approach of geohidrometeorological terminology to minimize the impact of disasters.

"So there are geological conditions, there are hydrological conditions, there are meteorological conditions. So there are soil rocks that make it up, there is a distribution system and water content, there is also the climate. Well, then there are activities on top of it. Is it by humans? Is it for example infrastructure, or others," he said.

In addition, a quantitative analytical geoscience approach called Budi is an important part of determining mitigation measures and also corrective measures.

"Mitigation is prevention, so for areas where we know the geological, hydrological, and climatic natural conditions like this, it must be warned from the beginning, a model is made. This area is dangerous, this area is somewhat dangerous, medium, high, and others," he said.

"Including the correction. At that time it had already happened, not because there was an incident above it. It could be other things related to its natural condition," he continued.

These things were emphasized by Budi to be seen in a balanced manner based on data.

"Because we at IAGI do things that are based on real conditions in the field, data, analysis, carried out by experts, then use the assessment methodology for it or based on standard or common methodologies," he said.

A casuistic approach is also needed. If a disaster occurs, it is necessary to analyze the series of events that preceded it.

"So the diagnosis of the problem with the medicine given is appropriate. We need to make sure that when a corrective step is decided, we need to hear this, who gives or recommends corrective steps is based on what. We can't justify a decision or corrective step, whether it meets the rules as it should, the factors that have the potential to contribute, which has the highest contribution, which has only a small contribution, we don't know," he explained.

IAGI itself encourages the regulation of the preparation of laws related to geology or land that ensures rules at the implementation level.

"So if, for example, the geological map of the disaster area, this area is not good, this area is prone, it should be referred to when changes or local governments or stakeholders will use or determine the spatial layout or build infrastructure and so on," he said.

"Well, we are formulating the policy brief, there will be recommendations from the points we mentioned earlier, the essence of which is the geoscience-based analysis of the actual capacity conditions in the field in terms of geology, it needs to be the main rule when we try to see the problem whether it is disaster, whether it is spatial planning, utilization," continued Budi.