Disaster is a locality issue. Thus, the community's resilience is crucialJakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) introduced Indonesia's ways of building disaster resilience at the Pacific Risk Management 'Ohana (PRiMO) conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii, US, on April 3-6, 2023.
Deputy for Logistics and Equipment at the BNPB Lilik Kurniawan and several other staff represented Indonesia at the conference that was attended by Pacific Island countries' stakeholders in the field of disaster mitigation.
Kurniawan, in a written statement received on Sunday, stated that the Disaster Resilient Village (Destana) program is one of the ways taken by Indonesia to bolster community resilience in the process of disaster mitigation.
"Disaster is a locality issue. Thus, the community's resilience is crucial. The Disaster Resilient Village program involves the active role of the community, supported by regional governments, academicians, and business institutions," he said.
According to him, the Destana program has 20 indicators and priorities in economy, environment, and inclusion. The program is tailored to the disaster risk and potential in the respective areas.
"Destana in coastal areas has efforts for tsunami preparedness and climate change adaptation," he said.
In addition to strengthening the community's resilience, the authority would also need to improve building structures, such as houses, schools, offices, places of worship, health facilities, markets, and public facilities, to minimize the aftereffects of disasters.
The concept is implemented by identifying local risks, improving the role of local authorities, and preparing local actions through the strengthening of infrastructure, disaster risk management, and education, he expounded.
Kurniawan explained that Indonesia is a disaster-prone archipelagic country with over 17,500 islands. Like other Pacific Island countries, Indonesia has a high risk of disasters and climate change impacts. Therefore, cooperation and exchange of knowledge based on local wisdom become essential.
In addition, he continued, Indonesia has a coastline of 81,000 kilometers, the second longest after Canada. To this end, green, mixing green, and gray infrastructures are built in coastal cities as a mitigation effort.
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Translator: Devi Nindy, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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