Cities in Indonesia are Hit by Disasters

Floods, earthquakes, water crises, deadly accidents, and fires plague rapidly growing cities in Indonesia. However, mitigation in these urban areas is still minimal.

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

A resident crosses refugee camps in Cibulakan Village, Cugenang District, Cianjur Regency, West Java, Friday (16/12/2022). Hundreds of people took refuge in that place after their house collapsed in an earthquake, Monday (21/11/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The tremors of an earthquake that spread from Banten were felt in Jakarta on Wednesday (10/5/2023). This event is reminiscent of the Cianjur earthquake that occurred about seven months ago. Cianjur city and its surrounding areas in West Java were devastated. At least 600 people died and many are still displaced. However, earthquakes are not the only disasters that plague the city.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded 30,771 disasters from 2012 to 2022, the majority of which occurred in urban areas. Around 44.95 million people were affected, including casualties, missing persons, injured individuals and displaced persons. A total of 1.03 million buildings were damaged, including homes, public facilities and infrastructure, and economic centers.