Prabowo Eyes Merger of Geological Agency and BMKG

President Prabowo Subianto has hinted at the potential merger of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) with the Geological Agency, which falls under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM). This proposal was made during a meeting focused on disaster management developments, prompted by a series of natural disasters that have affected various parts of Indonesia.

The President urged the Head of the Geological Agency, Lana Saria, to work more closely with other line ministries and state agencies. Prabowo mentioned that the idea of merging the two institutions will be explored in the future, but he did not provide further details at the time. He emphasized the need to closely monitor the situation and gather information about the current state of affairs.

Prabowo highlighted the numerous disasters that Indonesia has faced recently, including earthquakes in Flores, volcanic activity at Mount Anak Krakatau, forest and land fires in several provinces, and hazardous haze. He described Indonesia's location on the Ring of Fire as a fact of life for the country. The President also revealed plans to increase the national budget for disaster mitigation, stating that the recurring disasters should serve as a valuable lesson for the government he leads.