Indonesia: Sign and information boards improve volcanic eruption preparedness
The National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) continuously conducts efforts to improve community preparedness towards threats of volcanic eruption. One of the efforts is built by BNPB and Local Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Jawa Timur is to install the sign and information board related with volcanic eruption hazard. Head of BPBD Jawa Timur Sudarmawan said, "Sign and Information Board is a form of early warning for government appartus and community to be alert," on a coordination meeting between BNPB and BPBD of province, district and sub-district in Jawa Timur on Thursday (14/7) in Surabaya.
In 2016, BNPB with its budget allocated from APBN has a program to install the sign and information board in 7 targeted areas with active volcano in Indonesia. The installment is based on recommendation from Geology Agency and proposal submitted by BPBD. Meanwhile, targeted areas are specifically for some volcanoes as follow, Tangkuban Parahu, Papandayan, Semeru, Dieng, Rinjani, Egon, and Gamalama.
Installment does not mean that an area automatically safer, more important thing is how community is able to understand and response the sign and information board. "Therefore the installment is not a short project without sustainable approaches from local authority," Medi Herlianto said, the Director of Preparedness BNPB, in the coordination meeting. "The installment is to stimulate and it is necessary to be conducted by BPBD. The BPBD is able to build cooperation with other stakeholders," Medi added.
Related with sign and information board, Medi said that BNPB has regulation, i.e. Regulation Number 7 Year 2015 about Sign and Information Board of Disaster that could be used as guidelines.
BNPB also gave an explaination on how to report during installment process. KoboCollect application is used by BNPB to monitor implementation and record coordinates the signs and information boards as what already implemented during reporting of sign and information board of tsunami installment in 2015. "Data that will be recorded in a server could be accessed at website (www.rambu.pastigana.com)," Section Head of Monitoring and Warning BNPB Tommy Harianto said in a session of KoboCollect Installment that attended representatives of BPBD province, district and cities in Jawa Timur.
In addition to the explanation on the reporting mechanism, a speaker from Vulcanology Survey Indonesia (PVMBG) explained the technical installation instructions and knowledge about the characteristics of volcanoes. The speaker of PVMBG Imam Santoso said that the volcano disaster risk there is flow (hot lava, gas, etc.) and a falling (ash, rocks, etc.). Disaster-Prone Regions or KRB is divided into three levels namely KRB III closest to the crater, KRB II, and KRB I most distant from the crater. The yellow color means KRB flow area while red means KRB fallout area. Each volcano has different characteristics so that the installation of signs and information boards this disaster should match the characteristics of each.
Indonesia has 127 active volcanoes, that consisting of 76 volcano type A, type B volcano 30 and 21 volcano type C. Type A volcano is a volcano that experienced the eruption since 1600. The volcano type B is a volcano after the year 1600 have not experienced any magmatic eruption, but still exhibit symptoms such as solfatara activities. While the volcano type C is a volcanic eruption in human history is unknown, but there are signs of past activities in the form of field solfatara and / or fumarole at weak levels. A type volcano spread across the island of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores Island, Banda Sea, Maluku and Sulawesi.
Volcano is one of the tourist sites that are very attractive to tourists from all over the world. Signs and information boards disaster are expected to give warning and alert to local community and visitors from the impact of disasters.