Two 5.4-magnitude quakes strike Flores Sea: BMKG

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded two 5.4-magnitude earthquakes, triggered by different mechanisms, in the Flores Sea, East Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday afternoon.

The epicenter of the first earthquake was located at 7.65 degrees south latitude and 122.43 degrees east longitude, 11 kilometers under the Flores Sea, BMKG’s coordinator for earthquake and tsunami mitigation, Daryono, informed here on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the second earthquake was centered at 7.57 degrees south latitude and 122.45 degrees east longitude, 12 km under the sea.

The distance between the epicenters of the first and second earthquakes was relatively close at about 4.2 km, he noted.

The two earthquakes were categorized as shallow, he said adding, they did not trigger tsunamis.

“Interestingly, these two earthquakes have different source mechanisms. The first earthquake had a strike-slip mechanism, but the second one has a thrust fault mechanism,” Daryono informed.

Furthermore, since the two earthquakes occurred due to different mechanisms and were almost 1.5 hours apart, he said he suspected that the second earthquake happened because of the static triggering effect of the first earthquake.

“However, looking at the epicenter, these two earthquakes are not located in the path of the Flores Back-Arc Thrusting earthquake source, but rather to the north from the widely-known source,” he added.

As of 3:58 p.m. local time, the results of BMKG’s monitoring showed one aftershock activity, with the largest magnitude of 4.0 recorded at 3:19 p.m.

On December 14, 2021, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4, had been recorded in the Flores Sea.

Source: Antara News

Children’s Day reminder to uphold children’s right to health: minister

The National Children’s Day is a reminder to fulfill children’s rights to health so that they can grow and develop well, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

“The National Children’s Day, which is commemorated every July 23, is the right momentum for everyone, from parents, families, communities, businesses, educational institutions, professions, to the government, to meet the children’s rights to health together,” he said in a written statement received here on Saturday.

The rights include the right to survival, the right to grow and develop, and the right to be protected from acts of violence and discrimination, Sadikin explained.

“The optimal growth and development of children will support the realization of the quality of health, intelligence, and individual competitiveness,” he remarked.

He said that lack of parenting and growth support, proper nutritional intake, physical activity, individual hygiene, and environmental sanitation would be a cause for concern. Moreover, if those factors are coupled with smoking, gadget addiction, and poor communication between parents and children, they can lead to health problems in youngsters.

His administration has urged everyone to contribute to efforts to prevent children’s health problems in order to create a generation of good quality.

To support the fulfillment of children’s health rights, his administration has also initiated the transformation of primary services, he said.

It is focusing on improving promotive and preventive efforts, such as early detection, health promotion, building infrastructure, equipping facilities and infrastructure, and developing human resources and management in all primary services in the country.

“This service is expected to support efforts to meet children’s right to health and create healthy people by conducting preventive measures,” the minister said.

He further said that this year’s theme for National Children’s Day is “Protected Children, Advanced Indonesia.”

The ministry is promoting the theme of improving children’s quality of life through high-quality parenting and services.

The ministry commemorated this year’s National Children’s Day by collaborating with other sectors, businesses, professional organizations, and the community. Activities conducted to mark the day included a movement to promote nutrition fulfillment in junior high schools, high schools, and their equivalents to encourage higher consumption of blood-adding tablets by adolescent girls.

The ministry also organized screening for eye disorders, especially refractive errors, in school children.

Other programs held as part of the transformation of primary care included augmenting routine immunizations from 11 to 14 vaccines and monitoring the growth and development of children at integrated services posts with standardized anthropometry tools.

Source: Antara News

Pontianak holds Benua Melayu Laut arts, cultural festival

The Pontianak city government, West Kalimantan Province, has organized the Malay arts and cultural festival “Kampong Melayu Benua Melayu Laut” along the banks of the Kapuas River featuring dances and music from local groups and communities.

The festival aims to preserve the city’s rich Malay culture and introduce it to young people, head of the Pontianak Education and Cultural Office, Sri Sujiarti, said in Pontianak on Saturday.

“As the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology has started to include artists (as art teachers) in schools, that would be extracurricular (for students). In Pontianak city, we prepare them in 16 schools, and they will be evaluated every year,” she added.

Malay dance and music from Pontianak city have the potential to be showcased on the national and international stages, Sujiarti said.

Similar festivals are regularly held three to four times a year, and this is the first time the festival has been held by the riverside, she added.

Other cultural festivals include the Meriam Karbit Festival, Arakan Pengantin (procession of sending the groom to the bride’s house in Malay Pontianak culture), Cap Go Meh or the 15th night of the Chinese calendar’s first month, and tribal ritual Gawai Dayak to show gratitude for harvested crops.

“Every year, we apply for the establishment of cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage. We also inventory cultural data in Pontianak city to the central government,” Sujiarti informed.

On July 30-31, 2022, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno will attend ‘Kampong Melayu Benua Melayu Laut’ festival to consider Kampong Melayu’s (Malay village’s) inclusion in the list of 50 best participants for the 2022 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI).

Sujiarti said that efforts to support the assessment have covered the aspects of safety, order, cleanliness, coolness (temperature), beauty, and hospitality.

Source: Antara News