Kampus ITS, Opini —

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) always reminds us that every time the rainy season begins, it is always followed by strong winds. Many experts in the world say that in recent years, the weather conditions have become increasingly extreme. This extreme weather is one of the impacts of climate change. This means that strong winds will occur a lot and the strength will be greater or more extreme, and the impact will be bigger.

In the last few years, fallen trees have become more frequent and more in number. In Surabaya alone, on the 5th of January, there were 78 fallen trees. Victims have also been taken account of, and the damage and losses are not small. It is time for the government to declare a “Falling Trees Emergency” so that there is a movement to reduce the risk of casualties and damage from fallen trees together.

Shading trees on the roadside, in parks, and in other public spaces are treated as “Buildings” because these trees are intentionally planted. Reducing the risk of wind, among others by checking, monitoring, and rejuvenating trees that will be hit by the wind. Not only trees, but also entire building stands such as billboards, headbands, billboards, and so on.

Because there are a lot of trees to be recognized, it requires the cooperation of many parties. During this time, the government already has Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for tree trimming, we also propose to inspect tree trunks, that is, the government and the community jointly inspect trees.

Some cases of fallen trees are caused by:

1. The tree is old, and can no longer grow

2. Porous in the middle, eaten by termites, and the drying braches

3. Initial planting is not in the form of seedlings, but instead cuttings, which caused the roots to develop sideways

4. The trees are already tilted and cracks are prominent

If the condition of the tree is prone to collapse and endanger the surrounding community, it will immediately be cut down and replaced with a new one. Don’t let the wind break down aimlessly and endanger the people or property below. This action is part of disaster mitigation for disaster risk reduction due to strong winds.

Written by:

Dr. Ir. Amien Widodo, M.Sc

Adjie Pamungkas, ST., M.Dev.Plg, Ph.D

Center for Mitigation and Climate Change Research

Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember