Berita

According field survey carried out by the Geological Emergency Response Team, a vast majority of the damaged buildings in the Tasikmalaya earthquake were mostly dilapidated and structurally unsafe.

During a press conference at the department on Tuesday (8/9), the head of geological body R. Sukhyar has concluded that 70% of the damaged buildings fall into category A, 20% category B, and the remaining 10% into category C. “Buildings that fall into category A are those without proper structure (lacking concrete columns), category B are those with simple structures, while category C are those that has a sound structure” explains Sukhyar, while further adding that the rock formation below the houses also played a role in the damage.

According to reports from the National Disaster Management Body received on September 8 at 12.00, the quake which was caused by a subduction between the Eurasia and Indo-Australia, left 64.413 houses heavily damaged, and another 134.294 houses with light damage in West Java alone. This data was compiled from 14 regencies and cities which consists of Cianjur, Garut, Sukabumi, Tasikmalaya, Bandung, West Bandung, Bogor, Kuningan, Ciamis, Banjar, Purwakarta, Majalengka, and Subang.

Most of the damage hit Bandung regency, losses include 15.156 houses with heavy damage, 26.400 with light damage, 281 places of worship heavily damaged, 166 schools heavily damaged, 369 schools with light damage, and 43 offices lightly damaged.

To reduce the risk of major damage from earthquakes, the Head of Geological Body has advised that new buildings be built by calculating geologic, morphologic, and building structure factors.