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Hot clouds from Mount Semeru as observed from Supiturang Village, Pronojiwo, Lumajang, East Java, on Friday, December 10, 2021. ANTARA PHOTO/Ari Bowo Sucipto/aww - 

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry drew attention to the importance of collaborative efforts from everyone to warn and remind the public of geological disaster mitigation information.

As a response to geological disasters, the government expedites strategic measures through several ministries and institutions, as a form of responsibility for the sustainability of community activities in disaster-prone areas.

Secretary General of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry Ego Syahrial in a statement here, Saturday noted that the main priority was public safety.

Comprehensive measures are arranged and executed in accordance with existing regulations, he said.

Through the Geological Agency, the ministry continues to conduct round-the-clock monitoring of 69 of the 127 active volcanoes. Mount Semeru in East Java was one of the volcanoes they observe.

"The study results, which came in the form of maps of disaster-prone areas for volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and ground movements, are directly submitted to regional governments and the authorities that use them," Syahrial explained.

The ministry constantly coordinates with both the national and regional disaster mitigation agencies to educate the public of the issues.

"Collaboration between the central government and regional governments, as well as through community involvement and other stakeholders are important in mitigating geological disasters," he emphasized.

The public is advised to always monitor geological activities through the MAGMA Indonesia application that offers real-time information regarding the said activities.

The application also displays a map of the location and time of occurrence, magnitude, depth, symbols of the earthquake mechanism around the earthquake location, name of the volcano closest to the earthquake center, and data sources.

"This application can be used as a way of identification and early warning in disaster mitigation," he explained.

Expediting the dissemination of information to the public regarding geological disaster mitigation is considered to have a positive effect in the long term.

"People will understand to conduct their activities according to applicable procedures," Syahrial concluded.

The ministry's efforts in mitigating geological disasters are still supported by equipment that are deemed far from ideal, despite the fact that their durability and reliability would determine the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

"Most of the mitigation equipment had been used for a long time. The equipment needs to be modernized," he stated.

He opined that by modernizing technology, disaster mitigation efforts would be much more optimal, as the device would be able to provide fast and accurate information on geological activities that occur.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry will also make further efforts, with the modernization of equipment as its priority, by allocating budget to meet those requirements.

"This is related to public protection in the future. Moreover, most of our people live in disaster-prone areas, the ring of fire. Thus, disaster mitigation is the most important aspect," he highlighted.

In order to modernize monitoring tools, financing for disaster mitigation in 2022 needs to be increased. The ministry has planned a budget of around Rp5.8 trillion (around US$404 million).

The budget will cover for infrastructure in order to supply energy for the community, such as the construction of a city gas network, distribution of LPG converter kits for fishermen and farmers, public street lighting, revitalization of new renewable energy infrastructure, electrical power distribution equipment, assistance for new electricity installations, and construction of the Cirebon-Semarang gas pipeline//ANT