Great! This is the Innovative Step Taken by Bontang in Disaster Risk Mitigation

Kapanlagi.com - Handling disaster is an important step in a region. This is so that each region can be more prepared for various disaster risks that may occur. Based on this, Mayor of Bontang Basri Rase inaugurated the Disaster Resilient Village Management (Kelana) which took place at Bessai Berinta Stadium on Thursday (16/11/2023) last.

Appreciation for BPBD Bontang

The Mayor appreciates BPBD Bontang for implementing innovative steps by establishing the Disaster Resilient Village, as a concrete effort in dealing with disaster risks.

“The inauguration of the Kelana Management reflects the commitment of Bontang City, not only in handling disasters but also in disaster mitigation at the national and international levels,” he said.

The achievements that BPBD Bontang has achieved in disaster management have made Mayor Basri Rase trusted as a speaker in disaster management. In addition, he has also been invited several times abroad as a speaker on disaster mitigation.

“Yesterday, in South Korea, I was also invited as a speaker. They appreciate Bontang, which is known as an industrial city with heavy risks but has successfully achieved zero incidents,” he said.

The Mayor asks for various experiences and learning from each region to be implemented to improve self-readiness, not only during disasters but also post-disaster.

Shouldering Great Responsibility

Not just a mere title, the Disaster Resilient Village also has a great responsibility in handling various types of disasters. Including natural disasters, environmental disasters, industrial disasters, social disasters, and human disasters.
“The hope is that Kelana can provide better education to its surrounding environment,” he added.

Bontang City, he continued, has the potential for industrial disasters because Bontang has large industries such as PT Badak, Pupuk Kaltim, Ammonia, explosive factories. “When we are not careful, everything can cause a disaster. Alhamdulillah, through the new head of BPBD in a relatively short time, he has been able to establish the Kelana Management,” he said.

The Mayor emphasizes the importance of attention to training, so that Kelana members can truly provide effective education to friends in the surrounding environment, at least to their families. “This step is expected to help people who have gardens to avoid burning when working on their land,” he said.

Appreciation for Bontang City's Initiative

Representative of the Head of BPBD Kaltim Province Ivan Ramdhani as an Analysis of Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation in the Prevention and Preparedness Field of BPBD Kaltim Province highly appreciates Bontang City's initiative in forming the Disaster Resilient Village. Kelana is a central program called Disaster Resilient Village.

“We appreciate the Bontang BPBD (Regional Disaster Management Agency) for successfully establishing Kelana within a year. Bontang BPBD is also one of the best BPBDs in East Kalimantan,” he explained.
The hope is that Kelana will not only stop at its inauguration, but also continue with various sustainable programs.

“We also plan to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as a form of support in disaster management in Bontang,”.

Bontang BPBD Executive Head Usman said that Kelana Volunteers consist of 499 members, all of whom are representatives from each neighborhood in Bontang. The selected volunteers will be trained to socialize with fellow residents.

Each Kelana management for the period 2023-2028 will be pioneers in disaster response. After being inaugurated, they will undergo training in Berbas Pantai to learn the basics of disaster mitigation.

(kpl/wri)