Currently, BMKG operates enough seismographs to monitor earthquakes in Indonesia
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded 10,792 earthquakes in Indonesia from January 1 to December 29, 2022.

"From the total number of earthquakes in 2022, there were 807 earthquakes that the people felt and 22 earthquakes that were destructive," the Head of BMKG's Earthquake and Tsunami Center, Daryono, said.

Destructive earthquakes were recorded in Sumatra (five times), Java (six times), Kalimantan (once), Sulawesi (three times), Maluku-North Maluku (three times), and Bali-Nusa Tenggara (four times), he informed during a webinar entitled "2022 Earthquake Reflection” on Friday.

He also highlighted that two earthquakes caused deaths this year, namely the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in West Pasaman, West Sumatra, and the 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Cianjur, West Java.

"The 6.3M West Pasaman earthquake caused 25 people to die and the 5.6M Cianjur earthquake claimed 334 lives," he noted.

An earthquake is a phenomenon whose occurrence cannot be predicted accurately, Daryono explained. Therefore, mitigation steps have to be undertaken.

In this case, BMKG has added seismographs to improve earthquake detection capacity, he informed.

The agency has placed one additional seismograph in East Java, two seismographs in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and five seismographs in Sulawesi.

"Currently, BMKG operates enough seismographs to monitor earthquakes in Indonesia. The (number of) existing seismographs currently reached 438," he informed.

In 2023, the agency will install seismographs at 12 locations to obtain more accurate earthquake measurement results, he added.

In addition to mitigation steps, the government is still carrying out post-disaster recovery and handling in Cianjur.

Earlier, in Cianjur on Thursday, an official informed that the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry has repaired 164 school buildings that were damaged in the 5.6-magnitude earthquake.

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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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