Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) is set to undergo significant budget cut as part of President Prabowo Subianto’s state budget efficiency measures. The House of Representatives (DPR) has approved budget cut for BMKG in 2025, reaching to a 50% of reductions.
According to Bisnis, the DPR’s Commission V has set BMKG’s indicative budget for 2025 at Rp1.40 trillion ($90 million). The figures fell 50,3% from the previously proposed Rp2.82 trillion ($181 million).
Following the budget cut, BMKG Chief Dwikorita Karnawati stated that the agency would implement cost-cutting measures in several areas. The efficiency including capital expenditures for new equipment used in weather, climate, earthquake, and tsunami monitoring.
Operational expenses such as office electricity usage, communication networks, and equipment maintenance would also be reduced. Additionally, BMKG plans to limit official travel, shift more meetings online, and adjust work rhythms through a combination of work-from-office (WFO) and work-from-anywhere (WFA) arrangements.
Despite the budget cuts, Dwikorita assured that BMKG’s core services, including 24-hour weather forecasts, climate monitoring, and earthquake and tsunami detection would remain fully operational.
“Even with budget efficiencies, BMKG guarantees the uninterrupted operation of its 24-hour information services,” Dwikorita said on Friday (February 7), as reported by Antara.
Concerns Over Impact on Disaster Monitoring
BMKG Legal, Public Relations, and Cooperation Bureau Head, Muslihhuddin, expressed concerns over the potential consequences of the budget cut. While BMKG supports the government’s efficiency measures, he acknowledged that the reductions would significantly impact capital and operational expenditures, particularly in equipment maintenance.
According to CNN Indonesia, Muslihhuddin claimed that the budget cut threatens the functionality of many key meteorological and geophysical instruments. The agency estimates a 71% decline in maintenance capacity, which could disrupt weather, climate, air quality, earthquake, and tsunami observations.
BMKG operates nearly 600 earthquake and tsunami monitoring sensors across Indonesia, many of which have surpassed their recommended lifespan.
The budget reduction could lead to a decline in the accuracy of meteorological data, with weather, climate, earthquake, and tsunami information reliability dropping from 90% to 60%. Additionally, early tsunami warning times could slow from three minutes to over five minutes, while information dissemination reach may shrink by 70%.
“Mitigating geo-hydrometeorological disaster risks is critical and cannot be neglected, as it concerns public safety,” Muslihhuddin emphasized.
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Additionally, BMKG’s role in issuing early tsunami warnings for the Indian Ocean and ASEAN regions could be compromised. He also warned that modernization efforts, including upgrades to BMKG’s operational systems, could come to a halt.
Government Budget Cuts
President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has mandated across-the-board budget reductions for 2025, with total spending cuts amounting to Rp306.69 trillion ($19.6 billion) from the state and regional budgets (APBN and APBD). This directive, outlined in Inpres No. 1/2025, affects multiple ministries and government agencies, including BMKG.
(Raidi/Agung)
