5 Provinces at Risk for Wet Hydrometeorological Disasters: BNPB

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has identified five Indonesian provinces with a high potential for wet hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and landslides ahead of the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.

At an online press conference on Friday, the deputy for emergency management at BNPB, Major General Fajar Setyawan, said that the five provinces are West Java, Central Java, East Java, Banten, and Bali.

According to him, West Java is the most prone to wet hydrometeorological disasters during heavy rain because the region has many mountainous areas, slopes, and rivers.

"In fact, accidents had happened in Bogor district, Sukabumi district, and Garut district with fatalities," he noted.

Setyawan said that mitigation efforts are currently being carried out in the five provinces for flood and landslide emergencies during the long holidays in the form of roll calls to check tools, equipment, personnel, and budget readiness for handling potential wet hydrometeorological disasters.

BNPB has issued a letter regarding emergency status, alert, response, and transition related to disaster mitigation at the provincial, district, and city levels.

The agency has also asked local governments to set up command posts, prepare operational planning, and provide disaster response gear.

Setyawan informed that provincial, district, and city governments can submit requests for tools, equipment, and budget support for disaster mitigation to BNPB.

The applications for assistance can be submitted until this Friday, he added.

BNPB is also taking mitigation and preparation steps such as placing barriers on embankments and slopes, deepening drainage, and preparing basic aid logistics for refugees, he informed.

Further, the agency is urging residents to increase their preparedness for disasters and monitor information about weather forecasts and disaster-prone areas on the official website of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) or the BNPB.

ANTARA

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