One of the areas in Indonesia frequently affected by natural disasters is Depok City, West Java. According to data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), throughout 2022, Depok City experienced 42 natural disasters, including 18 floods, 12 landslides, 7 tornadoes, 3 fires, and 2 earthquakes.

These disasters caused material losses of Rp 12.5 billion and affected approximately 15,000 people. According to the Indonesian Disaster Risk Index (IRBI) released by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in 2019, Depok City is categorized as a moderate disaster risk area with an IRBI score of 0.32. This IRBI score indicates that Depok City has a relatively high disaster risk potential and requires enhanced mitigation efforts.

With this background, the Community Care Team of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) in collaboration with the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) of Depok City, held an activity entitled “Workshop Program Edukasi Mitigasi Bencana Di Kawasan Masjid Kota Depok Jawa Barat”, di Gedung MUI Kota Depok pada hari Sabtu, 7 Oktober 2023.

The team leader, Kevin Naufal Muhammad (Geology 2021), explained to the UI FMIPA public relations team that this activity aims to improve disaster literacy for the Depok City DKM administrators so that they can be at the forefront of improving disaster literacy in the community.

“The natural disaster that occurred in Depok City not only caused physical and material impacts, but also psychological and social impacts on the affected communities. Therefore, preventive and mitigative efforts are needed to reduce the risk of natural disasters in Depok City,” he said.

This activity, funded by the Directorate of Student Affairs at the University of Indonesia, involved 58 participants from the Depok City Mosque Prosperity Council (DKM). The presence of the Depok City DKM in this activity is considered crucial as a community element that can assist in providing education and information about disasters to the congregation and local residents.

Kevin explained that the workshop was divided into two sessions. The first session focused on disaster education. In this session, the team presented material on the scientific definition of disasters and how to mitigate them. This material was delivered through interactive discussions by academics and practitioners.

The second session is Evaluation. In this session, the team assesses participants’ understanding of the disaster material presented through a questionnaire completed by each participant.

Present as a speaker, Geology Lecturer of FMIPA UI, Urwatul Wusqa, M.T., in his presentation entitled “Natural and Human Disasters”, explained that the city of Depok is an area that is quite vulnerable to disasters, especially landslides, floods, and tornadoes. Flood disasters in the city of Depok have the highest percentage of incidents, at 38% with a total of 12,383 victims and 28 damages according to BNPB data from 2007-2021.

Echoing Urwatul, Dr. Triarko Nurlambang, a disaster expert from the Geography Department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, stated that according to the 2022 Indonesian Disaster Risk Index (IRBI), Depok City’s risk index is moderate. This indicates that there is still potential for disasters to occur at any time in Depok City.

He continued by stating that increasing community capacity can reduce the disaster risk index. Furthermore, synergy between the government, community elements, and educational institutions is crucial in addressing disaster issues in Indonesia.

The Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at the University of Indonesia (UI), Prof. Dede Djuhana, Ph.D., supported this initiative and expressed his appreciation to the FMIPA and DMI Depok City teams. He expressed his delight at the program, stating that, as members of the FMIPA UI academic community, both lecturers and students have a moral and social responsibility to the community, to develop their capacities in accordance with their respective fields of expertise.

“As members of the FMIPA UI academic community, we certainly have moral obligations and responsibilities to the community, namely to develop the capacity and quality of life of the community, one of which is through this workshop,” said the Dean.

He hopes that this kind of program will be sustainable and implemented in other places, considering that the importance of disaster literacy has become a national program.

The Chairman of DMI Depok City, Eko Waludi, M.Si., said, “We must implement the function of mosques as in the time of the Prophet, namely that mosques are not only places of worship but also become centers of activities that bring benefits, one of which is educating the community about disasters.” He also expressed his gratitude to the FMIPA UI team for the implementation of this activity.