Researchers Warn of More Earthquakes and Tsunamis

By Barrie | September 24th, 2007 | 2 Comments »

Earthquakes and tsunamis might continue to threaten residents living along the country’s coastal areas with experts warning that the two disasters are going through a cycle this year.

Tsunami researcher Rahman Hidayat of the Coastal Dynamic Analysis Body at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) said earthquake-triggered tsunamis were going through a cycle this year.

He pointed to Sumatra’s west coast, especially Mentawai Islands regency, as the location which requires the most attention.

The west coast of Sumatra, he said, has two earthquake-prone zones, which have entered a 200-240 year cycle; the last cycle of earthquakes and tsunamis occurred there between 1797 and 1833.

In the past five years, he said his office and the Southern California University had worked together with world research institutions to give the quake-prone areas more attention.

They also jointly conducted research on possible major earthquakes, the epicenters of which, they predicted, are likely to be on Sumatra’s west coast.

“It turned out the quake that struck Bengkulu was located only some 200 kilometers north of the location we predicted,” he said.

He also warned residents living in other regions, such as Banggai in South Sulawesi — a region which also has a history marked by massive earthquakes and tsunamis — and areas from Pacitan to Banyuwangi in East Java.

“The threat is serious and might be more dangerous (than previous disasters). This year (could be) the time when Indonesia experiences more earthquakes and tsunamis,” Rahman said.

He said another tsunami researcher, Lorry Dongler of Humbold University in the U.S., has also raised similar concerns about the earthquake and tsunami cycle in the country.

“Lorry warns that Indonesia is entering a dangerous period for earthquakes and tsunamis,” he said.

He also pointed out that the range between one tsunami and another has become closer in recent years. Currently, a tsunami could strike annually, up from the 2.4 years previously.

Another researcher, Suranto, urged the government to better manage coastal areas.

“Coastal residents should be taught how to deal with a disaster,” he said.

He said several researches have said coastal residents in Bengkulu, which was struck by a massive earthquake last Wednesday, and residents in Mentawai, West Sumatra, have a low level of awareness on the dangers of tsunamis.

This low level of awareness, he said, is indicated by widespread construction along coastal regions.

Following last week’s earthquakes, Sumatra has continued to suffer big aftershocks.

Soemarso, head of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Padangpanjang, West Sumatra, said the aftershocks, several of which were over 5.5 on the Richter scale, were normal.

“Since the first earthquake was big, the aftershocks would naturally be big too,” he said Friday.

– Syofiardi Bachyul Jb. contributed to this article from Padang, West Sumatra.

Slamet Susanto