Indonesia Launches Early Warning System for Floods, Volcanic Flows

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) of Indonesia has announced the development of a community-based early warning system for sudden volcanic debris flows and floods in West Sumatra.

This initiative is in collaboration with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the Volcanology Survey Agency.

According to Indonesia's Antara News Agency, the early warning system follows directives from President Joko Widodo to expedite emergency response efforts for the cold lava flows that recently impacted West Sumatra.

Comprehensive assessments have been conducted to design an effective early warning system for potential volcanic debris flows, based on the disaster that occurred on May 11.

To prevent the recurrence of such events, which can lead to significant casualties, the BMKG emphasized the necessity of installing at least 23 early warning systems across the regions of Agam, Tanah Datar, and the city of Padang Panjang.