The ammunition warehouse of Yon Armed 7/105 GS in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, exploded and caught fire intensely on Saturday (Mar. 30). The powerful explosion caused grenades to be thrown into residential houses.
According to Professor Armaidy Armawi, a defense observer and Head of the Master and Doctoral Program in National Resilience Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), the explosion of the ammunition warehouse in Bantar Gebang should have caught the government’s attention on urban development.
He believes the government should reevaluate vital national objects, especially those related to safety and security.
“Vital and strategic military installations were originally far from the city. However, rapid urban development necessitates a periodic reevaluation of urban spatial planning,” he said on Tuesday (Apr. 2).
Professor Armawi believes that every development in a region should ideally consider the local conditions, especially if there are military installations, making the area essentially off-limits. Urban developers who wish to enter such areas should consider this.
At the very least, developers should negotiate regarding safety issues because safety is paramount, whether for military installations or other civilian communities. Many cases occur where military spatial planning lags behind civilian spatial development.
“Well, what happened recently wouldn’t have occurred if civilians coordinated with the military before developing civil spatial planning. In terms of spatial planning, the role of local governments is twofold: ensuring security and welfare,” he explained.
Ideally, civilians should also understand military issues and vice versa. The ammunition warehouse of Yon Armed 7/105 GS was initially located in the Tebet area, East Jakarta. As the first ammunition warehouse in Jakarta, it eventually had to be relocated.
Similar incidents have occurred in other vital state objects, such as the fire at Pertamina’s facility in Plumpang and others. Given the rapid development of urban areas, all of these necessitate good coordination between military and civilian spatial planning.
“There must be an understanding of these objects; everyone should know all regulations. People in the surrounding area should know it’s a restricted zone, not open to everyone. Guarding should be routine because it concerns the safety of many people. So, it must be well guarded, meaning control over the installations,” he emphasized.
According to Professor Armawi, the military should also periodically evaluate their installations. This evaluation can include expired materials, ammunition, and other items, with necessary destruction following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Another consideration is the occurrence of extreme weather changes. These were not previously considered, and explosions might be due to extreme temperatures.
“It could be like that if we think there’s no sabotage or anything, but these are extraordinary chemical materials. Ammunition has a specific composition of chemical materials that must be controlled. Especially lately, temperatures can reach 35 degrees,” Professor Armawi explained.
To prevent such incidents from happening frequently, Professor Armawi believes it’s time to conduct regular audits of weapon and ammunition storage facilities, following all relevant SOPs systematically and periodically.
The fire at the ammunition warehouse serves as a serious moment for evaluation, considering Indonesia also has missile storage facilities.
“This is just ammunition; what if it’s missiles? I won’t disclose their locations. Indonesia has them, and it should serve as a warning for missile storage locations, whether in the Army, Navy, or Air Force areas,” he stated.
Once again, he emphasized that weaknesses lie in evaluation or monitoring according to SOPs. Weaknesses in oversight occur in both civilian and military sectors. There is often a reluctance to take firm action regarding urban spatial development and areas designated for vital national equipment.
“Projections for urban spatial development must always be considered. It’s time for everyone to adhere to existing SOPs so there’s no blame game,” Professor Armawi added.
“Everyone loses if dangerous military installations lead to accidents. We can see and learn from military bases abroad. They are far from settlements, and it’s strictly forbidden to carry out urban development in those areas, and civilians should comply.”
Author: Agung Nugroho
Image: Warta Kota-Tribunnews.com