Bantul regency of Yogyakarta province lies at the coasts of the Indian Ocean, which is prone to earthquake and tsunami. The Indian Ocean region is the nearest region to Australian and Eurasian plates’ subduction zone. The earthquake on May 27, 2006 made it clear that the Bantul District is an area under the category of earthquake-prone area.
As is known, due to the earthquake disaster, the total of houses damaged in Bantul amounted to 236,024 homes with 132,432 of them severely damaged and collapsed, 37,233 houses experienced moderate damage and 66,359 houses were slightly damaged.
According to the researcher at the Risk Information Management System in Yogyakarta (RIMSY), Suryanto, M. Sc, the vulnerability degree factors on the risk of earthquakes occur because of vulnerability due to population density and vulnerability due to settlement density. The case of the earthquake in Bantul indicates that disaster-prone areas occured in areas that have high levels of population and residential density, in which the disaster prone area is characterized by alluvial and fluvial plains. "In Bantul, Banguntapan sub-district is a sub-district that has high population and is a disaster-prone area, so are Jetis and Bambanglipuro sub-districts," said lecturer of UNS Surakarta in his doctoral exam in environmental science of UGM Graduate School that took place in the Faculty of Geography Auditorium, Saturday (17/12).
While based on the overlay results of map on disaster vulnerability level, it is known that villages that have vulnerabilities potential are villages located in the Banguntapan sub-district, Jetis sub-district and Bantul sub-district.
According to Suryanto, to reduce the risk of disaster impact, community-based disaster risk management can be done by utilizing the community's willingness to conduct mitigation and the inclusion of disaster subject in formal education curriculum. Therefore, cooperation between government and community is a necessity to reduce the risk. "In addition, local wisdom of Bantul community, Saeko saiyeg kapti, can at least minimize public expenditures for mitigation activities," he said.