Jakarta learning from Taiwan's earthquake risk management: Indonesian expert

Taipei, March 5 (CNA) A visiting Indonesian seismology scholar on Thursday praised Taiwan's science-based earthquake disaster risk reduction efforts, adding that his country is learning from Taiwan's experience in the field, to save lives and mitigate damage.

Taiwan and Indonesia are situated in seismically active regions, said Dimas Salomo Januarianto Sianipar, an assistant professor at the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics' State College of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics, at a seminar in Taipei.

Ever since the magnitude-7.3 921 earthquake in 1999 -- one of the deadliest earthquakes in Taiwan's history that killed more than 2,400 people -- Taiwan has continued to evolve from experience-based response to science-based planning, and now to information and intelligence-based governance, he said.

The professor listed several key factors that he believes have contributed to Taiwan's success in earthquake disaster risk reduction, including coordinated efforts between the public and private sectors, science-based management, resilient infrastructure, early warning systems, community preparedness and public awareness.

Compared with Taiwan, Indonesia lacks an integrated and adaptive earthquake disaster preparedness framework rooted in real-time data, advanced risk modeling and community engagement, he said.

In 2023, Taiwan and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on earthquake science and disaster management, which has helped promote exchanges of experts and capacity building in disaster prevention, he said.

Learning from Taiwan's experiences, Indonesia also began developing its own earthquake early warning systems in 2024, he added.

Adapting Taiwan's integrated and adaptive earthquake preparedness framework is important for Indonesia because it provides a "tested example of how sustained political commitment, science-based planning, strict infrastructure regulation and early warning integration" can dramatically reduce disaster impacts, he said.

The Indonesian professor made the remarks in his keynote address delivered during a half-day international forum organized by the TaiwanICDF, the country's primary organization for international development aid.

The forum is held quarterly by TaiwanICDF, inviting local and international experts to explore the latest trends in global development assistance, according to the organization.