Jambi (ANTARA) - With the onset of the rainy season, the Jambi Provincial Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is working to mitigate potential hydrometeorological disasters, such as floods, landslides, and whirlwinds, in the region.
"To deal with hydrometeorological disasters, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has released (a statement) that the rainy season has arrived in November, with rain intensity already in the heavy to high category, and the prediction lasts until January," Jambi BPBD acting chief Dody Chandra informed here on Tuesday.
The mitigation efforts carried out by Jambi BPBD have included sending letters to district and city governments to encourage self-warning and preparedness for facing potential floods and landslides, as well as explanations of what district and city governments must pay attention to.
Chandra has asked district and city governments in Jambi to increase coordination with the related agencies and apparatus and educate the people on disaster early-warning using social media.
"Mitigation efforts (include) cleaning water flows, neutralizing rivers, (creating) vegetation of plants with strong roots, and building walls that hold cliffs," he said.
The regions need to prepare and disseminate information about safe evacuation routes by considering the health protocols, identifying required resources, and if necessary, declaring a state of disaster emergency and establishing command posts, he added.
The two regions that have the highest potential for floods in the province are Bungo and Merangin districts, he said.
Meanwhile, Bungo, Merangin, Kerinci, and Sungai Penuh have the highest risk of landslides, and Jambi city, Muarojambi, Tanjung Jabung Barat, and Tanjung Jabung Timur are at risk of experiencing whirlwinds.
In addition, Chandra said his agency has received a letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs outlining steps and efforts for dealing with hydrometeorological disasters.
"The letter’s contents are almost the same as what we wrote to the district/city (administrations),” he added.
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