Earthquake Jakarta, Are We Ready?

THREE centuries ago there was a story of Jakarta was almost flat earth quake. That day, 4-5 January 1699, in West Java shocks propagate to Batavia. Civilization Dutch colonial new town formation was almost destroyed.
At that time, Mount Salak erupted. From a peak as high as two thousand feet, the mountain was spewing ash and rock. Thousands of cubic mud splattering. Tens of thousands of trees uprooted, blocking the flow of Ciliwung River, clapped once and dam in Batavia, a town that was built to imitate Venice.
Mud flood is inevitable. The city suddenly became a swamp.
Disaster was recorded Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in his History of Java. "1699 Earthquake mud spewing from the earth. Lumpur was closed the river flow, causing an unhealthy environment, the more severe."
Batavia suffered a double disaster. Governor-General Willem van Outhoorn Dutch East Indies (1691 - 1704) who ruled at that time very nepotistic. The relatives occupy strategic positions in the Dutch East Indies. He even replaced his own daughter, Johan van Hoorn.
Almost a century later, the great earthquake again hit Jakarta in 1780. Then a century later, on August 27, 1883, Mount Krakatoa erupted, and triggered a tsunami 35 meters. Around 36 thousand people float, in western Java and south Sumatra.
The number of victims fantastic for the size of the period.
Krakatau tsunami waves can push the rock weighing 600 tons to the beach. This is one terdahsyat natural disasters, in addition to the eruption of Mount Tambora, which membolongi atmosphere, climate change, and supposedly makes Napoleon Bonaparte lost the war.
The story of Krakatoa rampage was never recorded eyewitness Mohammed Saleh, who wrote a 'Poem Lampung Karam', and published in August 1883. This is perhaps the tragedy of Krakatoa documentation the only one written by a native.
Saleh wrote: "And also with gelabnya, do not stop jiggle earthquake. Not menggoncangnya Earth, apparently a real sea quake. "
 "With God's destiny Ghani, big waves can not terperi. Lalulah coming into the country, people running here and there. " "There is a wooden climbing high, each one took him away. There was a rowdy looking for chants, there is a saying 'Allahurabi' ".
The manuscript was rediscovered by historians of Andalas University, Suryadi, who is now studying at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. He then edit the text of poems which resemble the 'journalism' it, and reissued in a book 'Fierce eruption of Krakatoa in 1883'.
Periods repeat
Four massive earthquake, it is not just a historical record. For the experts, he became a disaster the same instructions can be repeated in the capital.
Earthquake experts from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Dr Danny Hilman Natawijaya, for example, said of the historical facts quake always repeated in a specific time period. "This is a warning to Jakarta, a large city with 9 million inhabitants. Jakarta must always be ready to face skrenario worst earthquake disaster. "
Danny is a warning from the bottom. From the seismic data maps 2010, Jakarta, including cartilage. The level of vulnerability to earthquakes Jakarta rose probability. In 2002, she recorded the number of 0.15 g (gravity). Now, in 2010 rose to 0.2 g.
Encyclopedia of World Geography notes Jakarta, as do the majority of major cities in Indonesia, built on relatively less stable ground. Although far from the epicenter, the city vulnerable to shocks like that.
Land that is not stable so it makes propagation more powerful quake. As Chairman of the Indonesian Earthquake Map Revision Team or Team 9, Professor Masyhur Irsyam, North Jakarta area has bedrock conditions which allow the acceleration of propagation.
Take the case of the 1699 earthquake. Not earthquake center in Batavia, the old name of Jakarta. "But in other regions. Because the bedrock conditions enabling the acceleration of propagation, then guncangannya stronger than the strength of an earthquake at its source, "said Prof Masyhur.
Increasing the intensity of earthquakes in an active fault zone along the western coast of Sumatra recently helped make the experts worried. Because of potential earthquakes could toward the capital at any time.
"It also could be a sort of emergency call. You could see where the relative safety of the shock, so that could be an evacuation route," said Masyhur, earthquake expert from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) this.
Like it or not, Jakarta is in the shadow of the earthquake path. Previously it was rumored existence of fault, or fault earthquake in Jakarta. Across from Ciputat area until the City, the fault is called fault Ciputat.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said, one evidence of a fault it is hot springs in the vicinity of the National Archives Building. However, it is the fault Fault old.

In 2006, then the fault is still inactive status. But, she could "wake up" again. For example, if the old fault was "tickled" by an earthquake measuring above 7 on the Richter scale. Fortunately, nothing that big earthquake in Jakarta, at least in the last 200 years.
Domestic subscriptions quake
It's destiny: Indonesia is above the zone of very active tectonic plate as the three great world-Pacific, Australia, and Eurasia, and a number of other small plates meet in the archipelago.
Being in the circle 'ring of fire' or ring of fire makes this country subscriptions disasters, like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. "Indonesia is a earthquake supermarket," said the Special Staff of the President of Disaster Affairs, Andi Arief.
Based on data from United States Geological Survey (USGS), of the 15 most powerful earthquake in the world since 1900, four of them located in Indonesia.
Call it the 2004 Aceh earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale. According to the version of the USGS, the earthquake in Aceh occupied the number three after the Chilean earthquake on May 22, 1960 (9.5 SR) and the earthquake in Alaska (9.2 SR), March 28, 1964.
Three other earthquake was a magnitude 8.6 jolt SR in North Sumatra on March 28, 2005, magnitude 8.5 earthquake in South Sumatra, 12 September 2005, and the earthquake in the Banda Sea February 1, 1938.
Of course, we still remembered the earthquake and tsunami in Aceh on Sunday, December 26, 2004, which became one of the deadliest disasters in history. Approximately 230,000 people died in 8 countries. This disaster killed even in South Africa, which is nearly 5,000 miles from the epicenter.
The strength of the earthquake in Aceh, more than double the combined all the explosives used in World War II, including the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Victims generally fell due to the lack of a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean. Then, the tsunami in Aceh should be a lesson. Including the importance of taking into account the probability of an earthquake.
According to Team 9, the identification data of the earthquake through both historical and instrumental seismicity, active fault mapping, and monitoring of crustal deformation is an important aspect to be taken into account.
The threat of earthquakes increased two times
Within that framework, a number of experts trying to revise quake quake map of Indonesia in 2010. Last earthquake hazard map was made in 2002. A recent report entitled That's why Indonesia Earthquake Hazard Map 2010 (Probabilitic Map Seismic Hazard Analysis).
Danny Hilman explained that this map contains a potential earthquake hazards that are stored in each region. Map of 2010 claimed to be better than 2002. "The data is more complete because of various agencies. Previously the data only from individuals. The method used is also much better. "
About the potential for earthquakes, according to Danny, almost all towns in the region threatened the active fault. "For example, Padang, Banda Aceh, Surabaya, Malang, Semarang. Hundreds of cities. Only the island of Borneo are relatively safe from earthquakes. "
Map this earthquake will be used as a material consideration of building resilience. Its application to the Department of Public Works (MPW) in terms of building quality.
"The strength of the building must be adapted to the current scale. If the former building resilience based on 0.15, now its strength should be 0.2. Everything is calculated, and each individual building vary greatly. "
The earthquake may occur because of failure to apply the parameters of hazard (hazard) according to the level of earthquake hazard in the design, building construction, and infrastructure in certain areas.
What makes a little worried is the team's research results. It is said, the potential earthquake on the map in 2010 the greater. "About two times higher than the 2002 map," said Chairman Tim, Masyhur Irsyam.
Increase of 100 percent, said Masyhur, mainly occur near the source of the earthquake. "In the vicinity of faults, and around the fault," he said. The team then compared the level of turbulence in a number of cities on the map of 2002, with the results of research 2010.
In Aceh, the shock level increased from 0.2 g (gravity) in 2002 to 0.33 g in 2010. In Padang, from 0.25 g to 0.32 g. In Java, the rate of oscillation increased from 0.15 g to 0.2 g.

"But there is also a level of oscillation decreases. For example, in Lampung, from 0.25 g in 2002 to 0.2 g in 2010," said seismologist from the Bandung Institute of Technology.

Famously explains, monitoring potential earthquake in Indonesia has not fully completed. "There are still many active fault or active old fracture that has not been identified around the island of Java and East Indonesia.
Ceases to be a 'firefighter'
Recent data was feasible to make us wary. But crisis management experts from the School of Government John F. Kennedy, Harvard University, Arnold Howitt actually surprised to see the budget disaster response by Indonesia.
"66 percent of the budget only for reconstruction. Funds should also be allocated before the disaster happened, "said Howitt in the discussion titled 'Leadership in Disaster Management. Seeking Formulation for Indonesia 'Complex in the State Palace, Jakarta, late last June.
According to Howitt, their ways of thinking must change. From the 'fire', to be always alert to the disaster. "These data show, there is an error in allocating expenditure," he added.
Compared to Indonesia, the United States better prepared for disasters. Residents of New Orleans, hit by Hurricane Katrina for example. Before the disaster happens they have to build protective walls of hurricanes.
Or learn from Chile. The country was once destroyed by the 9.5 magnitude quake in 1960. But, says Tim 9, this country is smart enough to make it earthquake event as an important lesson. Chile is relatively ready.
Evidence, when the massive earthquake measuring 8.8 magnitude rocked Chile back in February 2010, with 512 times the great vibrations, they can reduce the number of victims. Only a few houses were destroyed. Recovery is also relatively fast communication network.
Try to compare it with Haiti. The country was hit by an earthquake 7 SR in January 2010. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost. Thousands of buildings were destroyed, and the recovery process of communication networks last long.
The secret of salvation is actually simple: policies about building standards. "The law in Chile requires that every building has earthquake resistant construction," so the description of Team 9.
We ready?
Director of Special Areas and Disadvantaged derah in Bappenas Dr. Suprayoga Hadi said the central government has drawn up the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) and also the Action Plan for Disaster Management (Renas PB).

"This is already planned in the period 2010-2014," he told VIVAnews. Included in it is the policy of 16 categories in anticipation of disasters, both natural and man-made disasters.
For earthquakes, Suprayoga explained, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (EMR) through the Center for Volcanology already preparing plans for the region in anticipation of high-level kerawanannya. The plan will be assisted each relevant local government.
According the latest maps, earthquakes tend to move into the western provinces of Indonesia. Therefore, a strict rules about building standards in the region.
"Implications of the publication of new seismic maps should be followed in issuing the rule in urban IMB. Building permit must be more stringent. For example, should be applied kontsruksi 5-6 SR earthquake-resistant buildings, "said Suprayoga.
West Sumatra and Bengkulu take more steps forward. To anticipate an earthquake, the area was revised regional plan (RTRW) Province, and local regulations.
"The earthquake in 2007 made their footing, so that very high-risk area prevented establishing settlements. So it's noted that there is a fault region, and a shift by high vulnerabilities, "Suprayoga added.
Then, what about Jakarta? According to him, building a vertical Jakarta more tall buildings towering alias. In addition to fulfilling the requirements, building in Jakarta should have a good evacuation system.

"There should be a clear route for evacuation. Then the extent to which existing facilities can serve as an emergency ladder, or other alarm. In order not to cause panic when disaster strikes, "said Suprayoga.
He suggested, in Jakarta should have followed the building renovation kaedah earthquake prone. Among others, strengthen the bone structure of the building with the addition of buffer.
Are we prepared?