Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has said that the installation of early warning systems (EWS) in several rivers that originate from Mount Marapi must be accompanied by efforts to strengthen public awareness.
"The most important thing is actually building the readiness of people around the mountain slopes or those who live around rivers that originate from Mount Marapi," Head of the BMKG's Minangkabau Class II Meteorology Station Desindra Deddy Kurniawan said here on Wednesday.
He made the statement in relation to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency's (BNPB's) plan to install EWS and bolster community awareness of disaster risks.
"The BNPB will also prepare the communities there to be resilient and responsive to disasters," he said.
According to him, without providing disaster preparedness knowledge to the community, the results of installing EWS equipment would not be optimal when a natural disaster occurs.
"If the equipment is installed, the technology is installed but people do not understand it, then this could be in vain," he said.
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Earlier, director of emergency resources support at the BNPB, Agus Riyanto, said that the EWS placed in rivers originating from Mount Marapi will be equipped with CCTV cameras He emphasized that CCTV installation is essential to give final confirmation to the monitoring post about any cold lava floods in those rivers.
Tanah Datar district head Eka Putra informed that the EWS equipment will be installed in Padang Laweh, Lima Kaum, Gurun, Sumpur, Sungai Jambu, Parambahan, Tabek Ganggang, Simpang Manunggal, and Rambatan The BNPB will also install the equipment in Labuatan, Simabur, Batu Basa, and Galogandang.