BMKG Develops Tsunami Early Warning Systems And Standards

JAKARTA Indonesia is the second country out of 193 countries that are at risk of being hit by disasters such as tsunamis. In fact, the tsunami that occurred in Aceh in 2004 was the third largest tsunami in the world.

Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati said that this happened because Indonesia was among the world's tectonic plates, namely Pacific, Indo-Australian, and Eurasian plates.

If you look back at the earthquake 9.1 scale richter and tsunami that occurred in Aceh, killing hundreds of thousands of people, the BMKG needs to strengthen the early warning system. According to Dwikorita, this system was built after the tsunami occurred.

"After the 2004 Aceh tsunami, the Indonesian government built a tsunami early warning system and was inaugurated in 2008," said Dwikorita through an official BMKG broadcast received by VOI on Friday, December 27.

"However, several tsunami events such as the Palu 2018 tsunami revealed the need to integrate technological advances with preparedness and community resilience," he continued.

BMKG has partnered with many parties to develop the best prevention technology. This institution also proposes the Guidelines for the implementation of a community-based early warning system for tsunamis, ISO 22328-3.

This standard was developed with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the National Standardization Agency (BSN), and Gajah Mada University (UGM). ISO 22328-3 has also been set as an international standard and complements the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Program.

To date, the ISO 22328-3 standard has been integrated into various strategic infrastructures such as airports, ports, and others. That way, BMKG can improve safety management and reduce tsunami risk in the future.

"The ISO Secretariat has issued this standard, its suitability with local practices has been proven to empower the community to reduce risks and vulnerabilities, as well as strengthen their readiness for the tsunami," said Dwikorita.