Sign in Subscribe
Local government

Indonesia's Minister Emphasizes Disaster Prevention in Development Planning

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Pratikno, has highlighted the importance of integrating disaster prevention into development planning. He emphasized that development should strengthen resilience against disasters, not increase vulnerability or trigger new ones. Thoughtful planning is essential to avoid worsening community exposure to risks, especially in regions prone to hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides, and droughts.

Key Takeaways:

  • Pratikno stressed the need for regional governments and stakeholders to integrate disaster prevention into development planning to reduce disaster risk and strengthen resilience.
  • Thoughtful planning is essential to avoid worsening community exposure to risks, especially in regions prone to hydrometeorological disasters.
  • The Minister warned against reckless projects that ignore environmental and disaster-related impacts, citing road construction as an example that can cause flooding due to poor drainage systems or blocked water channels.
  • Pratikno noted that most disasters in Indonesia are hydrometeorological, such as floods, landslides, and droughts, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
  • These disasters significantly affect sectors like agriculture and public health, disrupting food production and increasing the spread of disease.
  • The Minister called on regional leaders to build adaptive regional resilience systems and urged stronger central-regional collaboration to design sustainable, disaster-resilient development policies.
  • Pratikno emphasized the importance of climate change mitigation, particularly for agriculture, to reduce food production disruptions and disease spread.

Statistics:

  • Indonesia experiences an average of 500 disasters per year, with most being hydrometeorological (ANTARA).
  • The country's location makes disaster mitigation vital, with 80% of its land area prone to natural disasters (ANTARA).
  • Climate change has serious implications for Indonesia's agriculture sector, disrupting food production and increasing disease spread (Pratikno).

Sources:

  • Equal Indonesia, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno Warns Against Reckless Projects (ANTARA)
  • ANTARA News, Indonesia's Location Makes Disaster Mitigation Vital: Minister (No date provided)

Read more