West Java to ensure earthquake-resistant building regulation applied

West Java to ensure earthquake-resistant building regulation applied.

BANDUNG - The West Java administration has reviewed the the implementation of regulations on the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings in districts and cities across the province in an effort to curb risks when powerful earthquakes occur. 

West Java Governor M Ridwan Kamil noted that provincial government would check whether district and city governments had implemented the regulations mandating the construction of buildings with earthquake-resistant structures.

"The regulations have already existed, specifically in the cities," he said in a statement issued by the provincial government on Sunday.

However, the provincial government will examine cities or regions beyond Bandung and Bogor that have yet to have regulations that mandate the construction of buildings with earthquake-resistant structure, he added.

Speaking at the Real Estate Indonesia (REI) anniversary event on Saturday, he said that the earthquakes that shook Cianjur on November 21, 2022 and Turkey on February 6, 2023  need to be taken as an important lesson.

Specifically, it is a lesson on the importance of building construction regulation to minimize the impact of earthquake, he explained.

The buildings in Cianjur only have one floor, but the buildings in Turkey are tall and have multiple floors which exacerbate the earthquake's impact. Many of them are not earthquake-resistant, he said.

The governor urged companies within REI to construct buildings with earthquake-resistant structures. On Thursday, the Indonesian city of Jayapura in Papua Province was struck by a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that killed four people.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), these four victims were found from the ruins of a cafeteria that was destroyed due to the earthquake.

The agency also informed that 2,136 people were displaced by the earthquake and they seek refuge at evacuation locations spread across 15 areas.

Oleh : Ajat Sudrajat, Fadhli Ruhman/Antara

Editor : Yakop