Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) will install new devices to detect earthquakes and tsunami across Bali next month, as the agency hopes to match the island’s system with that of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
“We’re planning to make Bali a back-up. Should the capital city becomes ineffectual in the case of a disaster, so Bali with the same infrastructure will be the [alternative] information center for disasters in Indonesia,” said BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Dwikorita explained that the new devices will be installed in Bangli, Karangasem and Buleleng, as well as Nusa Penida island. She said the new devices would be able to issue earlier warning and quicker detection.
“Right now, the installed censors are mostly for high-magnitude earthquakes, and we will reinforce this with censors for low-magnitude earthquakes, so even small tremors would be detected,” she added.
Last Thursday, northern Bali was struck with a 5.1-magnitude earthquake, tremors of which were felt in other parts of the island, including Denpasar.
According to a report from Tribun-Bali, more than 60 houses were damaged in the quake, with the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in Buleleng putting the total cost of material damages at IDR1.6 billion (US$114,021).
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