Indonesia Faces 1,855 Natural Disasters Since January

Illustration/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded that from January 1 to June 19, 2022, Indonesian territory was facing 1,855 natural disasters, ranging from floods, landslides, and earthquakes, abrasion, drought, to forest and land fires.

According to a press release from BNPB in Jakarta, Monday, June 20, during that period the most natural disasters occurred on the island of Java.

Since the beginning of January 2022, there have been 1,088 natural disasters, or 58.65 percent of the total natural disasters that hit the territory of Indonesia.

West Java Province (469 incidents) followed by Central Java (310 incidents) and East Java (238 incidents).

Indonesia, according to BNPB data, from January 1 to June 19, 2022, faced 718 flood disasters, 671 extreme weather events, 353 soil events landslides, 89 forest and land fires, 12 earthquakes, 11 tidal waves and abrasion, and one drought.

During that period, 93 people died, 14 people were missing, 668 people were injured, and 2.37 million people suffered and were displaced.

In addition, natural disasters caused damage to 24,816 houses, 645 public facilities, 81 offices, and 90 bridges.

According to the BNPB analysis, as a tropical region with diverse topography located between four active tectonic plates and a volcanic belt, Indonesia is prone to natural disasters, so it must strengthen its mitigation capacity to minimize the impact of disasters.