Some 12 students of the University of Malaysia-Trengganu (UMT) and five students of the University of Malaya (UM) were among the participants of the summer course program that Unsyiah had co-organized with the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB).
The remaining participants comprised seven students of the China University of Geoscience, two students of Thailand's Fatoni University, two students of Japan's Kobe University, and a student of Tokyo University, ANTARA quoted the Unsyiah's website here on Tuesday.
Unsyiah's Vice Rector IV Dr. Hizir remarked that these international students gained insights into disaster mitigation and management at his university on Aug 22-25. Before coming to Unsyiah, the students were at the IPB on Aug 18-21.
"This Summer Course on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management is so important since the participating students are able to exchange information and perspectives on endeavors to reduce and manage disaster risks based on local wisdoms," he was quoted as saying.
Hizir remarked that teaching materials were given to these international students in classrooms and during field studies, adding that international communities had also laid greater focus on the impact of natural disasters, as they can potentially hinder national development.
Such catastrophic events do weigh heavy on a nation’s economy and development, and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals encourage countries to make all-out endeavors to lower disaster risks to ascertain sustainable development, Hizir noted.
With due weightage on the importance of disaster mitigation, Unsyiah and IPB have partaken in a campaign to tackle this issue by co-organizing this summer course, he explained.
Aceh Province is one of the areas in Indonesia that is susceptible to natural disasters, such as earthquake, tsunami, and flooding. In 2004, Banda Aceh and several other parts of Aceh Province were rattled by a powerful tsunami following a major earthquake.
Located on the Pacific ring of fire, Indonesia is susceptible to natural disasters, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
During 2018, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded that Indonesia had borne the impact of 11,577 earthquakes, including several causing grave casualties, with the number significantly rising than that in 2017.
Several earthquake-related events that had struck Indonesia last year were first of a kind to have occurred, such as the liquefaction in Palu, a tsunami that struck prior to the issuance of a tsunami warning in Palu, and the Sunda Strait Tsunami. Related news: Academician reminds of importance of tsunami mitigation
Related news: Regional leaders must understand disaster potentials in their regions
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
