Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Earthquake and Tsunami Center of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Daryono stated that the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) is an area prone to earthquakes.

"The DIY region is tectonically an area prone to earthquakes," Daryono remarked while delivering his presentation at the opening of the 2023 ASEAN Disaster Management Simulation (ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise/ARDEX) here on Tuesday.

Parts of the DIY area have experienced the effects of earthquakes and could experience another earthquake.

Daryono said that past earthquakes could serve as lessons in designing a mitigation system to minimize the impact of disasters that might occur in the future.

"Concrete structural and non-structural disaster mitigation efforts must be realized in order to reduce the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis that may occur in the future," he stated.

He noted that seismic activity in DIY was very active. Based on the seismicity map of Java Island and its surroundings, the sources of the earthquake megathrust -- south Java and the Opak Fault -- are very active in triggering earthquakes with varying magnitudes and epicenter depths.

Daryono also showed a map depicting the scenario for an earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.7, which would be highly damaging.

He said that if there was an earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.7 originating in the southern megathrust zone of Bantul District, DIY, then the shaking could reach an intensity scale of MMI VII to VIII.

On the MMI scale VII, earthquakes can cause moderate to severe damage to buildings that are not well-constructed.

Meanwhile, earthquake shocks on the MMI scale VIII can cause heavy damage to buildings with weak construction and cause the walls to fall off from the frames and the walls of the house to collapse.

ARDEX 2023, which takes place in Yogyakarta City and Bantul District on August 1-3, 2023, has the theme of "Facing the Threat of the Opak Fault Disaster in DIY and its surroundings, Realizing One ASEAN One Response."