Some Palu Residents Still at Risk of Earthquakes

KOMPAS/BENEDIKTUS KRISNA YOGATAMA

Technicians check rolls of special submarine cables on Thursday (18/12/2019) from the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) at the Technology Research Center (Puspitek) in Serpong. The fiber optic cables are to be installed under the sea to send marine data as part of the cable-based tsunameter (CBT) early warning system.

PALU, KOMPAS – Disregarding the recommendation of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in drafting a disaster risk map for Palu, Central Sulawesi, and its surroundings makes some residents of Palu city quite vulnerable to earthquake and soil liquefaction.

Things may worsen if people are allowed to live in disaster-prone zones without being given a proper understanding about mitigation.

The BMKG has refused to sign the disaster risk zone map (ZRB) for Palu and the surrounding areas even though it had already been approved by the Vice President\'s Office on Dec. 11, 2018, noting that the results of a BMKG survey of earthquake vulnerability and soil liquefaction had been ignored.

The agency only initialed the map with a note that the zone marked "ZRB 1, according to the BMKG, is ZRB 3". The ZRB map has a risk scale of 1 to 4, with 4 signifying zones of the highest disaster risk.

KOMPAS/HARRY SUSILO

A woman and her daughter walk past a signboard displaying a map of a disaster hazard zone on Wednesday (8/1/2020) at the Balaroa housing complex in Palu, Central Sulawesi, which has been designated a Red Zone disaster hazard area. Balaroa was devastated by the earthquake that caused soil liquefaction on 28 Sept. 2018.

Former vice president Jusuf Kalla, whose office approved the map, said the ZRB map was based on an agreement reached during a meeting. "The map was chosen based on scientific agreement," Kalla said at his residence in Jakarta on Monday (1/27/2020).

BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said thousands of residents could be affected by a major earthquake in the future. Moreover, according to him, future earthquakes could be more devastating than the September 2018 quake, especially for densely populated areas of Palu city, with the epicenters of future earthquakes predicted to be closer to the city center. "More [people] could be more affected," he said.

A number of areas marked as Zone 1 on the ZRB map are located in areas of higher risk on the BMKG map. By comparing the two maps, Kompas found at least 11 villages in three subdistricts of Palu city located in areas with a high disaster risk.

Areas seen as vulnerable to potential earthquakes include the villages of Ujuna, Baru, Leru, Kamonji, West Besusu, Central Besusu, East Besusu, North Lolu, South Lolu, North Tatura and South Birobuli.

KOMPAS/BENEDIKTUS KRISNA YOGATAMA

The ruins of Jembatan Kuning (yellow) bridge still stand on Sunday (5/1/2020) in Palu, Central Sulawesi, more than a year after it was destroyed by an earthquake on 28 Sept. 2018.

High population density

Those villages are located in the districts of South Palu, West Palu and East Palu. According to the local office of Statistics Indonesia (BPS), at least 196,000 residents were living in earthquake-prone areas in 2018.

That is quite worrying, because most of the residents still do not know about the disaster risk and about disaster mitigation. This is evident in North Tatura, a densely populated town with a high risk of earthquakes and soil liquefaction. The population of North Tatura is 22,839 people.

North Tatura resident Anto (40) said he did not know that his house was located in a zone prone to earthquakes and soil liquefaction. According to him, there was no information from village officials advising him to move to another area or adhere to certain building standards.

That\'s the most important thing.

"If I was told to choose, I\'d better be informed. It could be expensive to move but that’s OK; what\'s important is that we are safe. That\'s the most important thing," said the resident of Jalan Anoa, North Tatura.

Bambang Setiyo Prayitno, the head of the Center for Technical Seismology, Potential Geophysics and Timing of the BMKG, believes that building construction in the area should adhere to the BMKG\'s construction standards designed for zone 3 or the restricted area. Buildings built according to zone 1 standards would not be strong enough to withstand a powerful earthquake. "Yes, the houses will definitely be destroyed," said Bambang.

National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa denied that the BMKG recommendations regarding earthquake vulnerability in Palu and its surroundings had been ignored. He said the BMKG’s input had been accepted. "It’s impossible for us not to accommodate BMKG input," he said. ILO/BKY/KEL/HAR/NDY)