Indonesia ranks among the top 35 countries at highest risk for natural disasters. Credit: em_concepts via Shutterstock.

The Indonesian government plans to strengthen domestic housing construction standards to mitigate the impact of potential megathrust earthquakes, reported Xinhua, citing a senior official at the country’s Public Housing and Settlements Ministry.

Public Housing and Settlements Ministry deputy minister Fahri Hamzah said: “We will strictly require all construction and buildings to be based on research conducted by the government. This will determine whether a project is worth pursuing.

“This must be implemented. There must be no more homes lost in an earthquake.”

Positioned among the top 35 countries globally for natural disaster risk, Indonesia is proactively preparing for megathrust earthquakes that are capable of generating tsunamis.

Last September, the country’s meteorology, climatology, and geophysics agency highlighted the likelihood of such earthquakes occurring in two critical zones: the Sunda Strait and the area surrounding the Mentawai-Siberut islands.

Indonesia’s geographical position is at the juncture of multiple tectonic plates, namely the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, Pacific, and Philippine plates, making it particularly susceptible to seismic disturbances.

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Over the past 30 years, the country has suffered a series of earthquakes, which have killed thousands and caused significant infrastructural damage.

The country’s seismic activity is intensified by the presence of 127 active volcanoes.

The major earthquakes in Java and Sumatra in 2006, 2007, and 2009, have led scientists, engineers, and government authorities to enhance Indonesia’s standards for seismic-resistant buildings and infrastructure, reported Indo-Asian News Service via Dajiworld.com.

The 9.1-magnitude underwater earthquake off northern Sumatra on 26 December 2004 triggered one of the deadliest tsunamis ever recorded.

The 100ft wave damaged coastal regions across the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, claiming more than 200,000 lives and causing widespread destruction.