BNPB head Doni Monardo reported the statistic to President Joko Widodo while opening the 2021 National Disaster Management Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) entitled ‘Resilient to Disasters’ at the State Palace here on Wednesday.
"It means that every day there were at least nine disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, forest and land fires, flash floods, landslides, and tornadoes," he informed.
He said the disasters were always followed by material losses and casualties.
Quoting Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Monardo said that disasters are leading to losses to the tune of Rp28.8 trillion every year.
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"Meanwhile, based on statistical data on casualties due to disasters in the last 10 years, around 1,183 people have died in disasters," he added.
He also cited a statement from the World Bank, which has named Indonesia among 35 countries with the highest risk of disasters in the world.
Therefore, he assured, the government would continue to increase precautionary measures to reduce the impact of any potential disasters.
At a recent meeting in Sentul of West Java province, President Widodo had asked all government institutions, including the national army, police, and local governments to work together to carry out prevention, mitigation, and preparedness efforts.
One of the steps that can help reduce the impact of disasters is planning development based on disaster risk reduction, involving experts to predict potential disasters, strengthening early warning systems, preparing contingency plans, and conducting education and training on disasters, Monardo said.
"We are continuing to carry out the President's direction through a pentahelix collaborative approach between government institutions and academics, businesses, communities, volunteers, as well as the media. We are also continuing to try to improve preparedness, both individually, and with families and communities," he added.
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Translator: Katriana
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
