The Jakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) utilizes social media and an application-based communication platform for broadcasting disaster-alert information, such as the potential for floods during the peak of the rainy season. “We disseminate the latest weather information and water surface level conditions to the public through (our) social media channel and website,” Jakarta BPBD Acting Chief Isnawa Adji stated here on Thursday. The official social media handle of Jakarta BPBD are @bpbddkijakarta (Instagram) and Twitter on @BPBDJakarta. Adji urged the public to check the BPBD social media channels as a form of anticipation of disasters during the rainy season. In addition to websites, social media, WhatsApp, and Telegram, the Jakarta BPBD also provides early warning information through the Disaster Early Warning System (DEWS) and Short Message Service (SMS) Blast. Adji added that structural mitigation efforts have been prepared by the Jakarta Provincial Government in facing the rainy season, such as dredging water, river and reservoir channels through the “Grebek Lumpur” activities. The Jakarta Provincial Government has accelerated the completion of the 942-DV flood control program, which is the construction of nine polder systems, four reservoirs, two river revitalizations and vertical drainage. Furthermore, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing has sped up the Ciawi and Sukamahi Dams constructions, which aimed to reduce the potential for floods from the Ciliwung River. Adji remarked that the Jakarta Provincial Government prioritized two things in anticipating the impact of the rainy season, which are ensuring that there are no casualties and accelerating post-disaster recovery. Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that some areas in South Jakarta and East Jakarta have entered the beginning of the rainy season, and it has been predicted that the peak of the rainy season will occur in January-February 2023. Source: Antara News

Chief of Indonesian National Police General Listyo Sigit Prabowo conveyed his appreciation and gratitude to the Traffic Corps of the National Police for distributing 311,409 social assistance packages to the community.

“Thank you, everyone, for helping to distribute the social aid. Until now, there have been 311,409 social assistance packages which have been distributed by our colleagues (from the Traffic Corps) to the communities in needs,” he stated during the Launching of the Phase III of Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement (ETLE), coinciding with the 67th National Police Traffic Day here on Thursday.

He added that the social assistance given by the Traffic Corps only served as a secondary aid for the community who were affected by fuel price adjustments, while they were waiting for the distribution of the primary social assistance from the government, such as direct cash assistance (BLT) for fuel (BBM) and the wage subsidy assistance (BSU).

“Hence, on this occasion, I would like to thank all ranks of Traffic Corps,” he added.

The social aid packages had been disbursed by the Traffic Corps on September 5-21, 2022, to motorcycle taxi drivers, urban public transport (locally called ‘angkot’) drivers, orphans, porters, street vendors, farmers, fishermen, underprivileged communities, as well as people with disabilities.

On the occasion, the national police chief said that the fuel price adjustment was the result of the development of the recent global situation which had forced the government to make various attempts to adapt to the condition.

One of the efforts is providing more targeted subsidies, such as by transferring the subsidies on fuel to provide subsidies in other sectors.

Hence, the national police chief has expected that all police ranks will also help in disseminating the reasons for the government transferring the subsidies and adjusting the fuel price, thus the community will understand the issue better.

At the occasion, the Traffic Corps launched the implementation of ETLE at eight regional police offices of Aceh, Riau Islands, North Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Maluku, and North Maluku.

Source: Antara News