“We are doing this in response to the greater frequency of earthquakes in recent years. We
realize that buildings and infrastructure should be resilient to earthquakes to reduce the number of
fatalities,” ministry head of research and development Sumaryanto Widiyatin said.

The issuance of the maps was in line with a 2008 government regulation on disaster management that stipulates that mitigation through physical development was part of disaster prevention.

“The new maps are more comprehensive than previous editions, which were issued in 2002, as they comply with the 2006 International Building Code and are based on three-dimensional earthquake source analysis,” he said, adding that they also included estimates of earthquake forces on structures to reduce disaster risks.

The map-making process involved 11 experts from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Climatology, Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and thePublic Works Ministry.

Sumaryanto said the maps served as a reference for constructing buildings and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, dikes and irrigation channels.

“We will also issue guidelines for retrofitting and strengthening existing buildings that lie in areas prone to earthquakes to beef up public safety,” he said.

“By issuing these maps and later the [Indonesian National Standards or SNI], all building permits should comply with existing laws. If a spatial agency issues a permit for a building that goes against regulations, it can be sanctioned,” he said, adding that residents also had the right to bring forward a class action against the administration if it ignored the recommended maps in construction work.

Sumaryanto said, map-makers were currently revising standards on earthquake-resilient construction, which is expected to be completed by August this year. They are also working on micro-zone maps as well as emergency plans to reduce the impact from earthquakes.

ITB’s Irwan Meilano, one of the map designers, said the micro-zone maps, which analyzed soil surfaces and building vulnerability, would give more detailed information about the potential for earthquakes in certain areas.

“With the maps, we can recognize whether public facilities, such as dikes, are located in critical locations,” he said.

Irwan added that the micro-zones map, which could take a long time to finish, would be a useful reference when drafting emergency plans.

“Right now we still need to disseminate information on the hazards to increase public awareness,” he said, adding that Japan set a good example by promoting citizens’ awareness through its headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion (HERP), a special governmental organization under the education, culture, sports, research and technology ministries.

Critics say Indonesia has not made disaster management a high priority. However, following a string of earthquakes after the one that triggered the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated Aceh and North Sumatra, the government has gradually paid more attention to disaster management.

Recently a team from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government shared a number of disaster management issues with local officials during a visit to Indonesia.

The Harvard team emphasized the need for governments to allocate sufficient funds for disaster mitigation, saying success in prevention and efforts in minimizing impacts of disasters could, in the long term, suppress the cost of damages. (lnd)

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