Beware Of The 'Tsunami Fire' Phenomenon When The Megathrust Earthquake In South Java Happens

JAKARTA - Plt. The Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Abdul Muhari highlighted one of the things that worsened the disaster situation when a large earthquake in the south of Java Island or a megathrust earthquake and tsunami occurred.

That is the existence of Pertamina's oil refinery in Cilacap. According to Abdul Muhari, this oil refinery needs to be controlled when a megathrust earthquake occurs because it has the potential to catch fire.

"In Cilacap, there are other potential hazards that we must pay attention to. Because in Cilacap there is an oil storage area, not only one, but several oil tanks or fuel storage areas," said Abdul Muhari in a virtual discussion, Monday, August 8.

Abdul Muhari gave an example of a similar incident that had occurred in Japan. When an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale rocked Japan and was followed by a tsunami in 2011, the phenomenon of "tsunami fire" emerged.

At that time, the earthquake and tsunami devastated the city, including one of the oil refineries. At the same time, the electric pole chipped and sparked fire. The flames were unavoidable due to the sparks that grabbed the oil spill.

"In 2011, there were three cities in Japan whose cities were submerged by the tsunami, but the buildings burned down. This is a new phenomenon and it is still a challenge for all of us to be able to find appropriate mitigation solutions," explained Abdul Muhari.

"This is what we need to secure, how can we secure gas stations, fuel oil storage, and others so that what we call a 'tsunami fire' does not happen," he continued.

Furthermore, Abdul Muhari said there are a number of ways that can be done to minimize the impact of disasters if a megathrust earthquake followed by a tsunami in southern Java occurs.

One of them is implemented in Japan, precisely in the coastal area near Sendai Airport. Japan uses vegetation in the form of coastal forests to reduce the potential impact of the 2011 Japanese tsunami.

"Indeed, the coastal forest was destroyed when the tsunami occurred. However, this can protect the landward part, so that Sendai Airport is not too affected. Even though a lot of debris was carried there, the debris can be cleaned and Sendai Airport can operate in only 6 hours. days after the disaster, because there was no significant damage," he added.