Bandung – The Bandung City Government, West Java, has begun preparing strategies to ensure that the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year (Nataru) holidays are safe and under control. Acting Mayor of Bandung, A Koswara, asked all his staff to prioritize various needs and anticipate potential obstacles.
“Bandung City is always the center of New Year’s Eve. I ask that the excavation and traffic order issues be prepared immediately so that Nataru can take place conducively,” he said.
Koswara also highlighted the challenges related to weather conditions, especially the rainy season which often becomes an obstacle. According to him, infrastructure and traffic management must be prioritized to deal with the situation.
“We need to ensure that all preparations run optimally, especially considering that rainfall often increases at the end of the year,” he said.
Bandung, as one of the leading tourist destinations, is predicted to once again be the main choice for people to celebrate the New Year. Therefore, the Bandung City Government ensures the safety and comfort of residents and tourists by coordinating with the police and related agencies to manage the surge in vehicles and smooth traffic.
“Infrastructure readiness, traffic management, and anticipatory measures against the weather are the main priorities in planning for Nataru this time,” said Koswara.
He also asked all parties to make maximum efforts to ensure that the Christmas and New Year holidays in Bandung run smoothly and safely.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has also prepared posts in 38 provinces to provide the latest weather information.
“Our posts are at every BMKG station in 38 provinces as well as joint posts at 13 ports and 96 airports,” said BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati.
BMKG has prepared more than 1,200 weather monitoring devices, weather radars, and earthquake detection devices to support the smooth running of the Nataru holidays. “We operate thousands of monitoring devices, including 1,200 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) that are able to record meteorological data automatically,” he explained.
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Pratikno, also emphasized the importance of government readiness in managing the Christmas and New Year homecoming and return flows.
“This important momentum must be maintained so that it can take place safely, orderly and smoothly,” he stressed.
Pratikno added that the government is preparing rapid response measures to address potential emergency events, such as natural disasters, by involving BMKG, BNPB, and SAR.