Jakarta, Jan 8 (IANS): The Indonesian government is planning to tighten housing construction standards nationwide in an effort to reduce the severe consequences of potential megathrust earthquakes, said a senior official at the Public Housing and Settlements Ministry.

The ministry's deputy minister, Fahri Hamzah, told reporters that future housing developments will be made earthquake-resistant. "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," he said.

"This must be implemented. There must be no more homes lost in an earthquake," he added.

Ranked among the top 35 countries for natural disaster risk, Indonesia is actively preparing for potential megathrust earthquakes that could trigger devastating tsunamis. In September of last year, the country's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency announced that megathrust earthquakes are likely to occur in two zones: the Sunda Strait and around the Mentawai-Siberut islands, Xinhua news agency reported.

Both regions are known as earthquake-prone areas in the Indian Ocean, with seismic gaps that have remained latent for hundreds of years.

Indonesia is situated at the convergence of the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, Pacific, and Philippine tectonic plates. Over the past three decades, the country has endured devastating earthquakes, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and extensive damage to infrastructure. Indonesia frequently experiences seismic activity due to its position in an earthquake-prone and volcanic-active region, with 127 active volcanoes.

The notable earthquakes that struck the islands of Java and Sumatra in 2006, 2007, and 2009 have prompted scientists, engineers, and government authorities to update the national standards for seismic-resistant design in buildings and infrastructure.

The catastrophic earthquake that struck Indonesia on the December 26 in 2004 was a seismic event of unprecedented magnitude and devastating consequences.

This underwater earthquake, measuring a staggering 9.1 in magnitude, occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra. The impact of this seismic activity extended far beyond the initial tremors, as it triggered one of the most destructive tsunamis in recorded history, a 100-foot-tall tsunami killing more than 200,000 people and leaving thousands of communities in ruins. These tsunamis surged towards the coastal regions of several countries bordering the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and many others.