TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan revealed that nine Indonesian regions are prone to earthquakes in 2021 and need to be mitigated.

They are Mentawai of West Sumatra, Bengkulu-Lampung, Sunda Strait-Banten, South Bali, North Sulawesi-Maluku Sea, Aceh, Sorong of West Papua, Matano of South Sulawesi, and Lembang of West Java.

“We all must be aware of this [potential disaster],” said Luhut at the 2021 National Disaster Mitigation Coordination Meeting in Jakarta, Thursday, March 4, 2021.

He explained that the analysis was carried out based on data on potential active zones, seismic gaps, and the link between the quake frequency and the magnitude.

“When will this happen? We don't know, but it will happen. It could be 10, 20, 30, or 50 years from now, but it can happen at any time,” the minister remarked.

Luhut mentioned that the government had issued a system of the earthquake and tsunami mitigation as the implementation of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 93 of 2019 on strengthening and developing earthquake information and tsunami early-warning systems (InaTEWS).

“I appeal to regional leaders, governors, regents, mayors, and other officials up to the lowest level to see the content of this Perpres,” he underlined.

Luhut further emphasized that more intensive synergy between the central government, both ministries and institutions, as well as local governments is necessary to implement the Presidential Regulation. “This is vital because as I recall, our weakness lies in collaboration or synergy while working,” he said.

Read: Powerful Earthquake Rocks Banten; Tremor Reaches Lampung, Jakarta

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