By Paxia Ksatryo
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While the [National Disaster Mitigation Agency] was founded with the intention of legislating on key risk reduction policies and allocating a budget to improve research and early warning tools, the events of 2018 prove that it is falling short. In a series of tweets, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho revealed that the tsunami early warning system had not been working since 2012 due to vandalism. According to AP, while decentralization of risk-reduction is shared among local governments, their negligence left the buoys unrepaired. Video surveillance also shows that victims of tsunamis did not seek higher ground -- an immediate response to such calamities -- proving that people were not informed on what to do in such emergencies.
The result speaks for itself: hundreds of victims losing their lives without a warning when a siren could have been in place, or education could have been instilled. Moreover, the collapse of infrastructure and homes not only have plummeting economic costs, they are a testament of the government’s failure to sufficiently mitigate risks by enforcing stricter construction laws to build stronger structures.
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In a paper written by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the link between disaster risk reduction and development is symbiotic. Indonesia’s turmoil this year is a paradigm case study, highlighting SDGs 4, 9 and 11. Improved infrastructure that can “anticipate, absorb, adapt to and or rapidly recover” from hazards (Target 9.1) and enforcing stricter regulations to ensure sustainable, resilient urban development (Target 11.3, 11.5, 11.B, 11.C) are the backbone to durable communities. Developing advanced technology and infrastructure against natural disasters demands a budget that Indonesia struggles to meet, but there are simple techniques builders can adopt which can build stronger foundations, making structures less vulnerable to instant collapse.
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It is crucial to know that change is accessible and can be advocated for at multiple levels. While it is the government who must right its wrongs, both individuals and communities can do their part.
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Monetary donations are a tried and tested approach to best support disaster relief. Organizations providing immediate aid and resources are essential for smoother recovery, but several non-profits are specifically committed to education and infrastructure, placing the question of long-term recovery in the spotlight.
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