REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUTA -- Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika mengusulkan agar frekuensi 700 MHz dapat dialokasikan bagi jaringan komunikasi radio untuk bencana atau Public Protection Disaster Relief (PPDR) dalam pertemuan organisasi telekomunikasi antarpemerintah kawasan Asia Pasifik ke-2 di Kuta, Bali.

"Kami perjuangkan agar bisa band (pita) 700 itu dipakai untuk band PPDR," kata Direktur Jenderal Sumber Daya Perangkat Pos dan Informatika Ismail setelah pembukaan pertemuan tersebut di Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Senin (17/7).

Menurut dia, frekuensi untuk PPDR tersebut merupakan salah satu usulan Indonesia dalam pertemuan kedua yang digelar 17-21 Juli 2017. Pertemuan itu dihadiri ratusan delegasi dari 38 negara anggota Asia Pasific Telecommunity (APT) untuk membahas usulan-usulan yang dipersiapkan untuk dibawa dalam pertemuan lebih tinggi yakni Konferensi Dunia Komunikasi Radio (WRC) 2019.

Saat ini, frekuensi 700 MHz banyak ditempati saluran televisi analog sehingga ketika saluran tersebut beralih ke digital, maka alokasi untuk frekuensi PPDR sangat memungkinkan. Frekuensi 700 MHz saat ini banyak dipilih operator seluler di Indonesia sebagai tempat untuk jaringan LTE atau Long Term Evolution, jaringan 4G yang diklaim standar baru untuk meningkatkan kapasitas dan kecepatan jaringan saat ini.

Frekuensi PPDR tersebut sangat dibutuhkan mengingat Indonesia merupakan negara yang rawan terhadap bencana sehingga membutuhkan komunikasi yang intensif dan penanganan yang cepat.

Dalam pertemuan yang mendiskusikan persiapan-persiapan untuk disampaikan dalam konferensi tingkat dunia itu, lanjut Ismail, secara umum membahas enam agenda besar di antaranya spektrum frekuensi radio, pita lebar masa depan yakni 5G hingga menyangkut isu satelit orbit geostasioner (GSO) dan nonGSO.

APT merupakan organisasi telekomunikasi antarpemerintah yang menaungi 38 negara di kawasan Asia Pasifik, bergerak di bidang jasa pelayanan telekomunikasi, pembuatan perangkat komunikasi dan penelitian dan pengembangan komunikasi, informasi dan inovasi teknologi.

Selain itu juga menaungi empat anggota asosiasi dan 131 anggota afilisasi yang merupakan lembaga atau operator telekomunikasi negara anggota.

The FINANCIAL -- The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on July 10 approved US$50 million from the International Development Association for the Strengthening Critical Infrastructure Against Natural Hazards Project in Tajikistan.

The project will strengthen the country’s capacity to prepare for, mitigate and respond to natural disasters. Related investments will help Tajikistan—a country prone to floods, mudslides, and earthquakes, and exposed to considerable climate change risks—to be able to prepare for potential natural disasters and to improve critical infrastructure, according to the World Bank.

“The project supports the authorities in shifting from a ‘reactive’ approach (that focuses on response) to a ‘proactive’ one that aims at reducing disaster risks and strengthening climate resilience”, said Jan-Peter Olters, World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan. “It thus reinforces Tajikistan’s ongoing efforts to develop sound policies, responsive institutions, and a resilient infrastructure to minimize the risk that natural hazards—if and when they strike—lead to debilitating disasters, irresoluble socio-economic costs, and avoidable human suffering.”

Tajikistan has a long history of severe floods, earthquakes, landslides, mudflows, avalanches, droughts, and heavy snowfalls. Its unique terrain, coupled with geological and hydrological features, translates into high degrees of vulnerability to climate change. At the same time, Tajikistan’s deteriorating infrastructure has increased the population’s vulnerability to extreme weather events and seismic risks. With most of its assets, including irrigation channels, river embankments, roads, bridges, and dams, built in the Soviet era, infrastructure investment needs are acute.

The social and economic impacts from natural disasters have been significant in Tajikistan. During 1992–2016, disasters caused economic losses to a total estimated cost of US$1.8 billion, and affected almost 7 million people. A recent World Bank study on earthquakes and floods estimated that average annual losses from floods could reach 1.4 percent of GDP and those from earthquakes 5 percent.

Through the Strengthening Critical Infrastructure Against Natural Hazards Project, the World Bank and the Government of Tajikistan aim to protect the population and people’s livelihoods from the impacts of natural disasters and climate change risks, by improving the national capacity to effectively mitigate and respond to natural disasters.

The project will finance the modernization of crisis management centres under the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defence to generate timely early warnings, crisis communication and emergency preparedness and response. It will improve the seismic hazard assessment capacity of the Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering for more accurate disaster risk identification. In addition, the project will support the Government in preparing a financial protection strategy to mitigate the risk of fiscal shocks caused by disasters, while making available a Contingent Emergency Response financing of US$6 million for a major natural disaster, that would allow funds to be mobilized quickly for post-disaster response and recovery.

In addition, the institutional strengthening will be complemented by the reconstruction of key infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and river embankments in the Khatlon and Badakhshan regions, which were damaged during the 2015 disasters.

The project will be implemented over a six-year period by the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan, in coordination with the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defence, the Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering, the Ministry of Transport, and the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation.

The project is supported by a technical assistance grant of US$1.25 million from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, which will assist the Government of Tajikistan by integrating resilience considerations into the design of critical infrastructure and provide recommendations to reinforce disaster preparedness and response capacities.

The World Bank’s active portfolio in Tajikistan includes 21 projects (including regional projects and trust funds) with a net commitment of US$582.6 million. It aims to support economic growth through private sector development, and to increase investment in better public services for people, such as education, health, municipal services and social protection.

The World Bank Group remains committed to supporting Tajikistan as it strives to improve the lives of its people and meet the aspirations of its young and growing population.

MANILA, Philippines— Disaster preparedness needs to be brought down to the community level.

Austere Panadero, undersecretary at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), aired this sentiment on Saturday, July 8, at the Agos Summit on Disaster Preparedness. Panadero said the problem stems from changes in leadership in local government units (LGUs) – when disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) officers, for example, come and go depending on the mayor. (READ: The role of LGUs, local councils during disasters)

"May problema tayo sa LGU level. Every 3 years nagpapalit ng leadership, at sometimes kapag bago ang mayor, bago ang DRRM officer, and that's why there are people who do not understand their job," said Panadero. (We have a problem at the LGU level. Every 3 years, leadership changes, and sometimes when the mayor gets replaced, the DRRM officer comes with him. That's why there are people who do not understand their job.)

Panadero pointed out that it questionable, for instance, that some LGUs seek help from national agencies just on the first day of a disaster.

As a solution, Panadero discussed Oplan Listo, the DILG's capacity-development and disaster response program which initially involved giving the local government leaders manuals on how to respond to calamity so that they know what to do when disaster strikes.

Moving from the LGU level, Oplan Listo later extended down to the community and family level with manuals also tailored for civic groups and families.

Panadero emphasized that the expansion was because the preparation needs to go down to the family level and must not stay at the LGU level alone.

"At the end of the day it’s the behavior at the family level that leads to preparedness," Panadero said.

Aside from this, even local governments have taken the initiative to provide disaster response frameworks that empower civic groups.

Cagayan experience

An example is Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba whose province faced Super Typhoon Haima (Lawin) in 2014.

There were only 5 casualties in the province—a low number considering it was a super typhoon.

He said owes the success from volunteer groups he called agkakaisa, who are their "first responders," numbering today at 144,000 all over Cagayan. They mobilized to prepare for the super typhoon when its landfall was announced.

He then initiated a "neighbor and force evacuation" program where vulnerable people were asked to evacuate, and those with stable homes were asked to take in evacuees.

PREPARED. According to Cagayan governor Manuel Mamba, disaster preparedness needs to be instilled to communities. Photo by Alecs Ongcal/Rappler

"Kasama dito ang mga simbahan na binuksan ang kanilang mga pinto maging sa mga kababayan na hindi kaanib sa kanilang relihiyon (Included are churches that opened their doors to their countrymen who are not part of their religion)," Manuel said in the Agos forum.

Ever since this happened, Mamba shared, they have also been fostering a culture of volunteerism by incentivizing local government units who have "people empowerment offices" that connect with the volunteer groups.

"Each barangay [gets] P300,000 provided that people empowerment offices are in place," Mamba said.

As a final word of advice for fellow local government leaders, Mamba said: "I'd go down to the [community] level; the barangay is too huge already. Para sa akin they're the more efficient partner for me, ever since I was a mayor (For me they are more efficient partners, ever since I was a mayor)." – Rappler.com

TRIBUNPEKANBARU.COM, PEKANBARU – Penanggulangan bencana di Riau selama ini dinilai masih sangat jauh dari harapan. Walau ada Perda yang mengatur hal tersebut, yakni Perda tentang penanggulangan bencana alam yang sudah diproduksi pada tahun 2013 lalu, namun tidak terlaksana sampai sekarang, dan belum ada Pergubnya.

Oleh karena itu, pihak DPRD Riau kemudian menginisiasi agar Perda tersebut bisa direalisasikan, dengan mengajukan kembali perda tersebut, namun dengan perubahan, yakni menjadi Perda tentang Penanggulangan Bencana, dan tidak ada kata alam di dalamnya, sehingga sifatnya lebih umum.

“Dalam Perda yang kita ajukan ini, tidak ada kata alam di dalamnya, sehingga bencana yang ditanggulangi tersebut tidak hanya bencana alam, tapi juga yang lainnya, termasuk bencana karena ulah tangan manusia,” kata Yusuf Sikumbang, Senin (10/7).

Tidak hanya perubahan judul yang dilakukan, menurut Yusuf pihaknya juga melakukan perubahan dalam materi Perda tersebut, misalnya penekanan pada pengkoordian, kemduian koordinasi, dan pengendalian yang dilakukan oleh pihak Badan Penanggulangan Bendacana Daerah (BPBD).

“Dalam undang-undang jelas disebutkan bahwa ada 11 instansi terkait dan terlibat dalam tim penanggulangan. Selain itu, juga ada dilibatkan masyarakat secara langsung dalam tim tersebut. Kalau selama ini yang berjalan kan masing-masing saja. Harusnya satu komando, sehingga bencana bisa cepat ditanggulangi,” imbuhnya.

Dia menambahkan, dari kunjungan pihaknya ke DKI Jakarta yang sudah lama membentuk tim tersebut, menurut Yusuf sebanyak 50 orang yang tergabung dalam tim setiap kelurahan sudah terlatih dalam penanggulangan bencana. Sehingga masyarakat tidak perlu bingung jika terjadi bencana di sekitarnya.

“Kalau buat kita, setidaknya di kawasan rawan bencana dulu diterapkan, dibentuk tim terpadu yang terlatih khusus dan siaga di lapangan,” tuturnya.

Ditambahkannya, khusus untuk bencana kebakaran hutan dan lahan, tidak masuk dalam Perda tersebut, karena sudah ada Perda khusus yang dibuat sebelumnya. “Karhutla ada Perda khusus, karena penanganannya juga khusus,” ulasnya. (*)