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BMKG finds budget cut 50% despite presidential assurance
The national weather agency found out on Wednesday that its budget for this year had been slashed 50 percent, giving the lie to an earlier assurance from the presidential spokesman that the reduction would not be so large.
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An employee of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) monitors potential earthquake hazards on Dec. 11, 2024, at the agency’s geophysics station in Aceh Besar regency, Aceh. (JP/Mardili)
T
he Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) discovered during its latest meeting with a House of Representatives commission on Wednesday that its 2025 budget had been cut 50 percent, even though the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) had previously dismissed concerns over such a large reduction the government’s broader efficiency drive.
House Commission V, which oversees infrastructure and transportation, revealed the national weather agency’s budget was now Rp 1.4 trillion (US$86 billion), half the initial allocation of Rp 2.8 trillion.
During the meeting, BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati divided the updated figure into two parts: Rp 847 billion to cover personnel expenses and Rp 556 billion for operational costs.
Dwikorita noted that with the sharply scaled-down funding, the agency would be unable to carry out its capital and goods expenditure and maintenance plans for this year, though she made assurances that funding for its disaster alert system would remain unchanged.
This included allocations for “earthquake and tsunami management, as well as field schools” for public disaster awareness and preparedness, she told Wednesday's meeting at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta.
Read also: BMKG seeks to avoid budget cuts, citing disaster risks
Dwikorita also mentioned a possibility that the agency’s budget might be increased slightly “from Rp 1.4 trillion to Rp 1.78 trillion”, referring to her recent meeting with the Finance Ministry.
