VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) encourages research and studies on earthquakes and tsunamis to strengthen mitigation to prevent and minimize casualties and damage due to disasters.

"Studies should always be encouraged with the aim not to cause public anxiety and panic, but to support the strengthening of the disaster mitigation system," BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati said in a press release received in Jakarta, Tuesday.

He explained that since several years ago researchers had made studies on the potential for tsunamis, including due to the megathrust earthquake on the South Coast of Java, which could reach 20 meters high and the waves could arrive at the coast in 20 minutes.

Research on tsunamis such as that conducted by Widjo Kongko (2018), Ron Harris (2017-2019), and a cross-agency team led by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and supported by BMKG are needed to strengthen earthquake mitigation and tsunami early warning systems.

Strengthening the earthquake mitigation system and tsunami early warning is very important considering the potential for earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia does not only cover certain areas such as the southern coast of Java.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis with varying wave heights and has the potential to occur in coastal areas facing the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean and beaches adjacent to active faults in the sea (back-arc) or stretching out to sea.

According to the latest ITB research based on seismic data analysis and tsunami modeling, in the worst-case scenario assuming an earthquake occurs simultaneously in two megathrust segments in the southern part of Java, the western part and the eastern part, a tsunami with a maximum wave height of 20 meters can occur in either area south of Banten and reached the coast within 20 minutes of the earthquake.

The mechanism of the tsunami event is based on modeling similar to that of the 2004 Aceh tsunami, the tsunami caused by an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 which reached the coast in less than 20 minutes.

Based on the modeling, land on the coast is at an altitude of over 20 meters is relatively safer from the threat of a tsunami hazard. The modeling results can be used as a reference in preparing evacuation routes and places as well as land arrangements in tsunami-prone areas. 

Dwikorita said that since 2008 BMKG has built an early warning system to monitor earthquake events and provide tsunami early warnings.

Within three to five minutes after the earthquake, the Early Warning and Monitoring System operated with the Internet of Things (IoT) and strengthened by supercomputers and artificial intelligence can automatically disseminate tsunami early warning information to communities in earthquake and tsunami-prone areas through various information channel.

With the use of this tsunami early warning system, there are still 15 to 17 minutes left for the evacuation process if a tsunami is estimated to arrive in 20 minutes. (Antaranews)

More than 1 million people have died of COVID-19 around the world as of Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, with the pace of fatalities picking up as infections again surge in several countries.

Deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses have doubled from half a million in just three months, led by fatalities in the United States, Brazil, and India.

More than 5,400 people are dying around the world every 24 hours, according to Reuters calculations based on average deaths so far in September.

That equates to around 226 people per hour, or one person every 16 seconds. In the time it takes to watch a 90-minute soccer match, 340 people die on average.

The United States, Brazil, and India account for nearly 45% of all COVID-19 deaths globally, with the Latin American region alone responsible for more than a third of them.

India is the latest epicenter of the pandemic globally, recording the highest daily growth in infections in the world in recent weeks, with an average of about 87,500 new cases each day since the start of September.

On current trends, India will overtake the United States as the country with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases by the end of the year, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government pushes ahead with easing lockdown measures in a bid to jumpstart the struggling economy.

Despite the surge in cases, India’s death toll of around 95,500 and pace of growth of fatalities remain below those of the United States, Britain and Brazil.

Health experts stress that official data for both deaths and cases globally since the first reported case in China in early January is almost certainly being underreported, especially in countries with limited testing capacity.

The reported global death rate has picked up from three months ago when an average of around 4,700 people was dying COVID-19 linked illness every 24 hours, or one person every 18 seconds.

Infection numbers are rising again in the United States and setting new records in Europe, which accounts for nearly 25% of deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a worrying spread in western Europe just weeks away from the winter influenza season.

The WHO has also warned the pandemic still needs major control interventions amid rising case numbers in Latin America, where many countries have started to resume normal social and public life.

Much of Asia is experiencing a relative lull after emerging from a second wave. In Australia, officials have lifted some reimposed internal travel curbs. (Reuters)

Three cities and two districts in West Java have been declared red zones, or areas with a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, prompting local authorities to tighten public activities and conduct mass testing.

“Red zones in West Java this week are Bogor city, Depok city, Bekasi district, Cirebon city, and Cirebon district,” West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said at a press conference held after the West Java Provincial Task Force for COVID-19 Response gave its weekly report on Monday.

The governor said the provincial government is also focusing on clusters of COVID-19 transmission at several Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) in Kuningan district.

"Right now, West Java has pesantren clusters (of COVID-19 transmission) in Kuningan district, where we will conduct mass testing, according to the pattern in Ciayumajakuning. There is an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in several areas there," he elaborated.

In Kuningan, micro-scale social restrictions (PSBM) have been imposed at the pesantren, village, and sub-district levels. The PSBM has so far been considered effective in containing the spread of COVID-19 in West Java.

The pesantren cluster emerged as many students and teachers often go out of pesantren compounds, he said.

West Java Vice Governor Uu Ruzhanul Ulum said the provincial government is coordinating with concerned parties to apply health protocols at pesantren.

The local authorities will conduct swab testing at several pesantren this week, he added. (Antaranews)

The Indonesian government calls on G20 member countries to jointly maintain market stability and energy supply security amid the challenges of the global economy and the situation of the Covid-19 virus pandemic.

"Covid-19 has created an economic crisis and reduced energy demand. We recommend that all G20 members work hand in hand to ensure the stability of the energy market and maintain affordability," Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif said in a written statement received in Jakarta, on Monday.

He said that to overcome problems in the energy sector, Indonesia is promoting New and Renewable Energy (EBT) as an investment recovery project.

"Indonesia is preparing a breakthrough policy that is more environmentally friendly for investors," he said.

Concrete steps taken by the Indonesian government are to strengthen collaborative data together in the broader and more transparent energy sector through the existing platform, namely the Joint Organization Data Initiative (JODI).

"This collaboration (data) will improve the quality and transparency of data and information. This will certainly stimulate energy investment," Arifin said.

JODI is an initiative to provide open global energy data which is the result of the collaboration between six international organizations and their member countries, namely: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), International Energy Agency (IEA), Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) which is then coordinated by the secretariat of the International Energy Forum.

The initial formation of JODI was only intended for global oil data and began to expand its scope in the gas sector in 2008.

At the G20 Energy Sustainability Working Group (ESWG) meeting in 2020, member countries hoped that the scope of JODI was expanded again for all energy sectors. (Antaranews)