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Indonesia to consider climate in disaster mitigation after natural disaster surge
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the Environment and Forestry Ministry are coordinating to include climate crisis adaptation in the country's disaster mitigation system, following a recent surge in deadly hydrometeorological disasters.
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Residents look for their belongings in the ruins of their house that has been destroyed by a landslide in Oebufu subdistrict, Oebobo district, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara on April 17, 2021. Hundreds of people were killed after flash floods and landslides triggered by Tropical Cyclone Seroja swept through East Nusa Tenggara on April 5. (Antara/Kornalis Kaha)
T
he government will include climate crisis adaptation in every effort to mitigate disasters across the country as the archipelago is projected to see an increase in the number of climate-related natural disasters in the coming years.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) prevention division deputy head Lilik Kurniawan said authorities were looking more into the effect of the climate crisis on natural disasters, especially following a series of disasters in East Nusa Tenggara presumably caused by Tropical Cyclone Seroja.
The Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded Seroja as the strongest tropical cyclone Indonesia had seen since 2008. Agency head Dwikorita Karnawati said the cyclone was an “unusual” occurrence because its center reached land even as it first appeared, probably caused by the average sea temperature increase.
The cyclone also hit East Nusa Tenggara and neighboring West Nusa Tenggara, regions rarely affected by cyclones in past years. Seroja is believed to have triggered widespread flooding and landslides in East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. Nearly 200 lost their lives during the disasters, which also displaced thousands of local residents.
“Climate change has become an emerging threat in disaster mitigation,” Lilik said in a recent discussion.
Read also: Indonesia braces for more weather disasters. Climate crisis will make them worse.
Although he did not reveal any details on how the agency would include climate adaptation measures in disaster mitigation, Lilik said the BNPB would work with the Environment and Forestry Ministry, which has a directorate dedicated to adaptation efforts.
