Residents of Cianjur have been asked not to panic even though they are surrounded by many faults, BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said here on Friday.
"Don't panic, but you must remain vigilant. Residents have been advised to build earthquake-resistant houses or consult the relevant agencies before building," she said.
She added that the agency has asked the local government to rearrange spatial planning based on the agency's recommendations.
"The local government must re-regulate the spatial layout per area, as an effort to anticipate similar earthquakes in the future," she said.
The earthquake prevention and mitigation steps carried out by the BMKG have included identifying fault clusters and sharing the results of the study with the government, including the Cianjur district government, Karnawati informed.
The results of the study, she said, do not need to be conveyed to residents because they could cause concern.
In the meantime, head of the BMKG’s Earthquake and Tsunami Center Daryono explained that based on the results of the study, the fault that caused the 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Cianjur district in November was identified as the Cugenang Fault.
"The faults that cross and surround Cianjur include Cimandiri Fault, Nyalindung-Cibeber Fault, Rajamandala Fault, including other faults adjacent to Cianjur such as Cirata Fault, Western Padalarang Fault, and Lembang Fault," he said.
He said that based on BMKG seismic activity data since 2008, the Cugenang Fault is very active.
BMKG also detected seismic activity in the Cimandiri fault zone, which is likely to originate from uncharted or identified faults, including the newly identified Cugenang Fault.
"Uncharted faults must be watched out for by all parties because it is feared that destructive seismic activity will occur. Regional governments must look at the historical aspect or the history of seismicity in their area," he said.
When a big earthquake has struck an area, other earthquakes can occur again several decades later, such as in Cugenang, which experienced major earthquakes in 1879 and 1897, Daryono added.
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Translator: Ahmad Fikri, Katriana
Editor: Anton Santoso
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