Energy Minister Reiterates Equipment Updating during Inspection to PVMBG

MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

PRESS RELEASE

NUMBER: 478.Pers/04/SJI/2021

Date: 24 December 2021

Energy Minister Reiterates Equipment Updating during Inspection to PVMBG

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (EMR), Arifin Tasrif, inspected the Center for Volcanology and Mitigation of Geological Disasters (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency in Bandung, West Java.

In a dialog with the Head of the Geological Agency Eko Budi Lelono and Head of the PVMBG Andiani, the Minister of EMR reiterated his order to modernize the monitoring equipment of volcano observatories.

"Keep up with technological developments. If there is a new technology, please make an upgrade; if the equipment is outdated, let's improve the quality," said Arifin on Friday (12/24).

There are 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia, 69 of which are monitored 24/7 by the PVMBG via 74 volcano observatories. The Minister of EMR then asked the PVMBG to monitor all volcanoes in Indonesia.

"I want the PVMBG to monitor all volcanoes, be it type A, B, or C. In the meantime, we will digitize the systems at the 69 volcanoes so that the PVMBG can integrate the monitoring," said Arifin.

To improve the monitoring of active volcanoes in Indonesia, the PVMBG must be able to meet three aspects, namely a sufficient number of monitoring technicians, availability of the latest monitoring tools, and capable human resources.

"Just entrust the development of human resource capacity to the Center for Human Resources Development of State Apparatus, the Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM)," added Arifin.

On the same occasion, the Minister of EMR together with the Secretary General of the Ministry of EMR, the Head of the Geological Agency, and the Head of PVMBG held a video conference with monitoring technicians who were on duty at all volcano observatories across Indonesia.

"Assalamualaikum (May peace be upon you). Good day. How are you, volcano monitoring technicians at Mt. Seulawah Agam in Aceh, Mt. Lokon, Mt. Semeru, Mt. Merapi, Mt. Dieng, Mt. Sinabung? I hope you are doing well," greeted Minister Arifin.

Minister Arifin then asked the status of each volcano, and made a promise to continue to modernize the monitoring equipment.

"Please continue your monitoring duty. Be cautious, stay alert, and keep improving yourselves. We will continue to make every effort to modernize the existing monitoring equipment," said the Minister.

Volcano observatories across Indonesia are generally equipped with disaster monitoring infrastructure, namely a volcanic monitoring system which is made up of seismic equipment, GPS, tilt meter, Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM), and CCTV.

Mount Merapi currently has the best monitoring system compared to other volcano observatories that do not meet the minimum monitoring standards, which include 6 seismic stations, 6 GPS stations, 2 tiltmeter stations, 1 EDM with a minimum of 4 reflectors, 1 geochemical station, 2 CCTV stations, and 1 infrared cameras.

The PVMBG also has monitoring systems for the Opak Fault in Yogyakarta and the Lembang Fault in Bandung, a monitoring system for ground movements through the Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS), and a monitoring room in Bandung to monitor volcanic activity and collect information on earthquakes, tsunamis, and ground movements across Indonesia. Meanwhile, the MAGMA Indonesia application has been built to facilitate the public to access the latest data on geological disasters.

"Volcano monitoring begins with sending the results of field recording to a volcano observatory through analog/digital radio, which will then send the data to the Bandung office via Vsat. Meanwhile, monitoring of active faults and ground movement begins with sending field data recordings to Bandung via the MAGMA Indonesia application," explained Andiani, the PVMBG Head.

The PVMBG has made achievements in disaster management, both in the country and overseas.

At the national level, the MAGMA Indonesia application won the TOP 40 Public Service Innovation Awards in 2017. The PVMBG also received the title of Corruption-Free Area (WBK) in 2021 from the Ministry for the Empowerment of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform.

At the international level, the PVMBG was awarded the best volcanology institution in the world for crisis monitoring and management by IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior). (IY)

Head of Bureau of Communication, Public Information Services, and Cooperation

Agung Pribadi (08112213555)

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