The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Tuesday urged the wider use of earthquake-proof housing, to prevent the kind of mass casualties seen in previous disasters.
He said that although efforts had been made to mitigate the impact of disasters, people continued to die unnecessarily.
"Although the number of victims in recent disasters has not been as high as the 2004 tsunami, we still need to better apply regulations and technology, and improve people's preparedness to reduce the damage," Kalla said at the opening of an international seminar in Jakarta.
"There's a different culture in housing inside and outside Java. Most houses in Java use ceramic roofing tiles, while houses outside Java use corrugated iron roofing, which results in fewer victims."
Last year, earthquakes devastated Yogyakarta and surrounding areas in Central Java, claiming nearly 6,000 lives, displacing 1.5 million residents and damaging hundreds of thousands of buildings.
Bantul in Yogyakarta and Klaten in Central Java were the worst-hit regions.
The most recent earthquake, which rattled North Bengkulu regency on Sept. 12, damaged more than 30,000 houses and killed dozens of people.
Director of the Center for Earthquake Engineering Dynamic Effects and Disaster Studies, Sarwidi, said Indonesia was obviously a disaster-prone country.
"So in order to create a safe living environment for people, the construction of houses needs to focus on how to reduce the impact of disasters," Sarwidi said during the seminar.
"According to the studies we've conducted, houses with brick walls, or semi-technical houses, were the most frequently damaged in earthquakes, causing the biggest losses in terms of human lives and materials."
He said this type of housing, built on little or no foundation, with poorly reinforced walls and heavy roofing was more likely to collapse when hit by the massive tremors typical of the earthquakes that frequently affect Indonesia, such as Yogyakarta in Central Java, Blitar in East Java and Banggai in Central Sulawesi.
"The foundations for earthquake-resistant houses are simple and cheap, and the houses can be designed in simple symmetrical shapes, such as a rectangle," said Sarwidi.
"The foundation should be placed at the right depth, and have a strong, connecting frame. The use of a light roof, made from material such as corrugated iron, helps make a house more earthquake proof."
He said securing ceramic tiles to wooden or bamboo frames in traditional tile-roofed houses could also reduce damage and fatalities.
Construction expert Wiratman Wangsadinata said any planning of earthquake resilient houses should take into consideration earthquake intensity and frequency.
"Buildings in Jakarta, for example, should be able to withstand 5 to 8.5 magnitude earthquakes within a distance of up to 500 kilometers," he said in a paper. (ndr)
Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Tuesday urged the wider use of earthquake-proof housing, to prevent the kind of mass casualties seen in previous disasters.
He said that although efforts had been made to mitigate the impact of disasters, people continued to die unnecessarily.
"Although the number of victims in recent disasters has not been as high as the 2004 tsunami, we still need to better apply regulations and technology, and improve people's preparedness to reduce the damage," Kalla said at the opening of an international seminar in Jakarta.
"There's a different culture in housing inside and outside Java. Most houses in Java use ceramic roofing tiles, while houses outside Java use corrugated iron roofing, which results in fewer victims."
Last year, earthquakes devastated Yogyakarta and surrounding areas in Central Java, claiming nearly 6,000 lives, displacing 1.5 million residents and damaging hundreds of thousands of buildings.
Bantul in Yogyakarta and Klaten in Central Java were the worst-hit regions.
The most recent earthquake, which rattled North Bengkulu regency on Sept. 12, damaged more than 30,000 houses and killed dozens of people.
Director of the Center for Earthquake Engineering Dynamic Effects and Disaster Studies, Sarwidi, said Indonesia was obviously a disaster-prone country.
"So in order to create a safe living environment for people, the construction of houses needs to focus on how to reduce the impact of disasters," Sarwidi said during the seminar.
"According to the studies we've conducted, houses with brick walls, or semi-technical houses, were the most frequently damaged in earthquakes, causing the biggest losses in terms of human lives and materials."
He said this type of housing, built on little or no foundation, with poorly reinforced walls and heavy roofing was more likely to collapse when hit by the massive tremors typical of the earthquakes that frequently affect Indonesia, such as Yogyakarta in Central Java, Blitar in East Java and Banggai in Central Sulawesi.
"The foundations for earthquake-resistant houses are simple and cheap, and the houses can be designed in simple symmetrical shapes, such as a rectangle," said Sarwidi.
"The foundation should be placed at the right depth, and have a strong, connecting frame. The use of a light roof, made from material such as corrugated iron, helps make a house more earthquake proof."
He said securing ceramic tiles to wooden or bamboo frames in traditional tile-roofed houses could also reduce damage and fatalities.
Construction expert Wiratman Wangsadinata said any planning of earthquake resilient houses should take into consideration earthquake intensity and frequency.
"Buildings in Jakarta, for example, should be able to withstand 5 to 8.5 magnitude earthquakes within a distance of up to 500 kilometers," he said in a paper. (ndr)
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