He stressed that development should strengthen resilience against disasters, not increase vulnerability or trigger new ones. Thoughtful planning is essential to avoid worsening community exposure to risks.
In a statement issued on Friday, Pratikno warned against reckless projects that ignore environmental and disaster-related impacts.
“Development must be planned to reduce disaster risk—not create disasters,” he said.
As an example, he cited road construction that often causes flooding due to poor drainage systems or blocked water channels.
“Road development must not cause flooding. We must ensure that infrastructure strengthens the region, not weakens it,” he added.
Pratikno noted that most disasters in Indonesia are hydrometeorological, such as floods, landslides, and droughts, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. These disasters significantly affect sectors like agriculture and public health.
“Climate change has serious implications, especially for agriculture—disrupting food production and increasing the spread of disease,” he said.
He called on regional leaders to build adaptive regional resilience systems and urged stronger central-regional collaboration to design sustainable, disaster-resilient development policies.
Related news: Include disaster management in development plans: Bappenas
Related news: Indonesia’s location makes disaster mitigation vital: minister
Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
