The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that the earthquake that jolted Cianjur district, West Java, on Monday (November 21, 2022) could potentially recur every 20 years, based on an analysis.

BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said that similar quakes were previously reported in Cianjur in 2000 and 1982. For this reason, houses built in the area in the future must be made earthquake-resistant.

“The earthquake usually occurs between 18–22 years or an average of 20 years. If a building collapses in a red zone, it is necessary to map the unsafe zone,” she added in Cianjur, West Java, on Tuesday.

If possible, residents affected by the earthquake must be relocated from unsafe zones to anticipate the potential for an earthquake every 20 years, Karnawati advised.

In addition, she asked disaster officials to anticipate damaged settlements on the hillsides or river banks. According to her, damaged house material has the potential to be swept away by the river.

“We are worried that the next disaster will be flash floods. Usually, after the material is hit by an earthquake, it piles up in the river flow, and the rainy season will peak in December to bring all of the debris,” she explained.

For this reason, Karnawati asked that in the construction or reconstruction of damaged houses, the potential for multiple disasters be considered in order to anticipate casualties.

“Do not just deal with earthquakes. We must anticipate other disasters, one of which is by providing information on safe zones,” she emphasized.

An earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck Cianjur district, West Java, at 1:21 p.m. local time on Monday. The quake was centered 10 kilometers southwest of Cianjur district at a depth of 10 km and had no potential to trigger a tsunami.

The number of residents who died following the earthquake has continued to increase. According to a report from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the death toll reached 103 on Tuesday.

Source: Antara News