Indonesia Prone To Earthquakes, Construction Encouraged To Have Strong And Rigid Designs
This article is adapted from Detik
The Director of Politeknik PU, Prof. Ir. Indratmo Soekarno, M.Sc, Ph.D., stated that the frequent earthquakes in the country have caused significant damage to infrastructure and led to loss of life. Buildings collapsing and affecting residents have become a major cause of the high number of casualties.
Prof. Indratmo conveyed this during the National Seminar and Exhibition on the 2nd Methods and Technologies in the Construction Field, held last Tuesday (6/12) in Semarang, Central Java. He also explained that the construction challenges in Indonesia are diverse due to its natural conditions.
"The construction that is strong and rigid is crucial because Indonesia is prone to earthquakes. Just yesterday (referring to the recent event), earthquakes below 6 SR have caused many buildings to collapse. Therefore, earthquake-resistant construction is essential to be implemented," he expressed in a written statement on Friday (9/12/2022).
Meanwhile, the Regional Secretary of Central Java, Sumarno, highlighted several areas in Central Java with land below sea level, submerged areas, and soft soil regions, emphasizing the need for special treatment from the Ministry of PUPR. He hopes that infrastructure development will consider the well-being of the people and the environment.
The design, planning, and material selection play a crucial role in facing earthquakes. This is because 75% of deaths during earthquakes are caused by structural collapses. Horizontal shocks created during earthquakes with higher magnitudes are more damaging than horizontal forces, leading to collapsing walls and roofs.
Regarding earthquake-resistant walls, research indicates that the displacement of lightweight brick walls is smaller compared to red bricks due to their lower weight and density. The weight of lightweight brick walls is only 1/3 of red brick walls, and they have strong cement bonds. Consequently, the bending and collapse threats for lightweight bricks are smaller than those for red bricks. In addition, Blesscon, a lightweight brick manufacturer and one of the exhibitors at the national seminar, is ready to support the promotion of earthquake-resistant construction in Indonesia, especially in Central Java. Blesscon's expansion with the establishment of a plant in Sragen, Central Java, contributes significantly.
"With the presence of the Sragen plant, the reach to cities in Central Java is more extensive, reducing distribution costs. Moreover, when combined with the plants in Lamongan and Mojokerto, Blesscon has the largest production capacity of 2,700,000 m2 per year. In January 2023, we will add more in Krian, aiming to reach 3.2 million m2 per year," explained Henrianto, the Commercial Director of PT Superior Prima Sukses.
Furthermore, Blesscon assures the quality of its lightweight bricks. Taking the initiative to instill confidence and peace of mind in consumers, Blesscon has been certified with the Green Label environmentally friendly) and SNI 8640:2018 for wall pairs.
"No one has requested these requirements yet, but we did it proactively, being the first and only one. This is our responsibility for customer satisfaction," said Yusuf Permadi, the Brand Manager of Blesscon.
To add to the pride, Yusuf continued, in December 2022, Blesscon once again obtained the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) 2156:2021 for Autoclaved Aerated Concrete specifications. Currently, Blesscon holds certifications for SNI 8640:2018 and SNI 2156:2021.
"SNI 2156:2021 is recognized and serves as the quality assurance agreed upon by Proberindo Indonesian Lightweight Brick Manufacturers)," he concluded.
