Week 16 - Final Hazards Report
Due to Indonesia's geography and location, the country is at high risk for various natural hazards, some of which are connected to and exacerbate each other. However, I think the most urgent hazards to address are earthquakes and subsidence.
Indonesia is one of the most seismically active countries in the world due to its location within the ring of fire and on top of multiple subduction plate boundaries. Mitigation of this hazard should be a priority due to the frequency of earthquakes and the devastating effects they can have. The country experiences thousands of earthquakes of varying magnitudes each year, with about 320 events with a magnitude of 5 or more and about 3 events with a magnitude of 7 or more annually. Indonesia's seismic activity is heavily concentrated at and around plate boundaries, so these areas, such as the Sumatran coast, should be targeted and receive mitigation help first.
In order to mitigate this hazard, several steps must be taken. More funding must be allocated to the mitigation of all natural hazards in Indonesia. The current seismic broadband stations, accelerometer stations, and tidal gauges must be properly maintained and in working order. Regulations and codes for infrastructure such as the current Seismic Resistance Design Standard for Buildings must be expanded and strictly enforced, as they are not being enforced now. The government should also invest more in mitigation in poorer communities, as they tend to be hit the hardest by natural hazards due to poorer insurance protection, quality materials, construction methods, and building design. Another crucial aspect to disaster preparedness and mitigation is education. The Indonesian government has acknowledged a general lack of awareness among the public regarding natural hazards and safety methods. Safety methods and disaster preparedness drills should be made mandatory to teach and practice in both schools and the workplace.
Subsidence is another fairly common hazard in many regions of Indonesia and can be caused by many different factors. The most common causes include excessive groundwater extraction, oil and gas extraction, peatland drainage, urban development, and other land misuse/overuse. Mitigation of the land subsidence hazard should be prioritized due to the sometimes subtle but devastating effects it can have. Subsidence related problems include the sinking and distortion of land, increased risk of flooding, expansion of flooding areas, loss of wetlands, damage to housing and infrastructure, and more.
Many of the regions most at risk of severe subsidence hazards are urban areas and coastal cities such as Jakarta. Jakarta, a low-lying city on the northwest coast of Java, is sinking an average of 1-20 cm annually with almost half of the city sitting below sea level. In Jakarta, the main cause of subsidence is excessive and illegal groundwater extraction.
To mitigate these hazards, the land subsidence hazard must first be taken seriously by the government on a local and national level and must be considered regarding urban development planning and building codes. In addition, stronger regulation and enforcement of groundwater extraction limits is necessary, and as is addressing the lack of water supply alternatives to groundwater. Although regulation and enforcement is important, providing people with an alternative to illegal and excessive groundwater extraction is crucial to actually making change. In places like Jakarta, where piped water isn't always reliable or available, the regulation of groundwater won't make a difference if people don't have any other way to access water.
If I were to build a house in Indonesia, I would steer clear areas on top of or near plate boundaries, as seismic activity is higher there. I would try to live somewhere in the suburbs where it's developed enough to have stronger infrastructure but not too urban as to be overdeveloped, as that can cause or exacerbate hazards.
Sources:
Indonesian Earthquake Highlights Need for Education on Natural Disasters (fairobserver.com)
Indonesia’s Protection Gap – How the Sumatra Earthquake Shows that Coverage Must Spread | RMS
Land Subsidence in Urban Areas of Indonesia | GIM International (gim-international.com)
piahs-372-115-2015.pdf (copernicus.org)
Jakarta, the fastest-sinking city in the world - BBC News
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