According to earthquake experts, a disaster will not cause casualties if no people get knocked down by the building construction when the disaster happens.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Knowledge management is required to build resilience to disasters, deputy for systems and strategy at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Raditya Jati, has said.

At a webinar on the 6.6-magnitude (M) Banten earthquake, accessed online from here on Friday, he said that repeated shocks in the Sunda Strait have become the subject of much research.

Thus, knowledge management on the issue needs to be developed together, he added.

Recently, scientists have shared concerns about the Sunda Strait megathrust since it is a tectonically active seismic gap, he explained.

"We attempt to make any disaster-related science to be included in knowledge management or to become a course," the deputy added.

The strategic attempt can be carried out by the agency along with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), he said.

Knowledge management can be developed based on the occurrence, location, and time of the disaster, Jati added.

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It is because the earthquakes and tsunamis that occurred in the Sunda Strait have caused a lot of social and economic losses as well as disrupted the people’s daily lives, he explained.

Hence, collective awareness on disaster mitigation and building infrastructure resilience must be built in the community, especially in areas that have the potential for earthquake, he said.

"According to earthquake experts, a disaster will not cause casualties if no people get knocked down by the building construction when the disaster happens. Thus, it will be our work together on establishing infrastructure resilience, especially in areas with high potential of an earthquake," Jati added.

Based on a survey conducted by BNPB, the construction quality of most of the buildings affected by the 6.6-M quake in Pandeglang district, Banten province, on January 14, 2022, was below standard.

In addition, the agency found that two regions that suffered heavy damage in the disaster, Sumur sub-district and Panimbang sub-district in Pandeglang district, had soft soil.

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Translator: Devi Ramadhan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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