"Weather modifications will be continued by the BNPB (National Disaster Mitigation Agency) along with the BMKG (Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency), as well as by provincial governments, especially the Jakarta provincial government," Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno remarked here on Tuesday.
Pratikno made the statement after chairing a coordination meeting to anticipate floods in the Jakarta metropolitan area.
The minister noted that the BMKG and BNPB will conduct weather modifications periodically. This program is designed to mitigate excessive rainfall, although it cannot entirely eliminate the possibility of extreme rain.
In addition to weather modification, another measure taken is optimizing existing infrastructure, with a focus on maintaining and renovating installed infrastructure.
He emphasized the importance of the preparedness of technical officers in the field to ensure no negligence in handling potential flooding.
Related news: BNPB assures full support to anticipate extreme weather
The government will also establish a joint coordination post within the BNPB this week as a coordination center for all relevant parties.
Each regional government and related government unit will send representatives to join this post so that coordination can be conducted in real time without additional meetings.
If flooding is unavoidable, the government is optimistic that hydrometeorological disasters can be managed through preparedness, such as by deploying personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
With these steps, the government hopes to reduce the impact of extreme weather and ensure a quick and effective response in dealing with potential flooding in the Jakarta metropolitan area.
"The Ministry of Social Affairs is ready. All the relevant parties are ready for us to curb the burden of the community if it (disaster) occurs," he remarked.
Related news: BMKG utilizes additional Rp25 bln budget for weather modification
Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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