Morotai Island Regency, is one of the regions in North Maluku Province, which has potential in the tourism sector which plays an important role in regional development. However, the potential and uniqueness that it has is vulnerable to natural disasters, one of which is flooding.

Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) through the 2023 ITB Top-Down Community Service Program, led by Dr. Eng. Eka Oktariyanto Nugroho, S. T., M.T then visited a village on Morotai Island, namely Hapo Village last Thursday (17/8/2023).

"The visit was in order to monitor and discuss directly with the Head of Hapo Village, regarding the installation of an early warning system to anticipate the danger of flooding that threatens Hapo Village," explained Eka.

According to him, the height of the flood that occurred in Hapo Village on January 23, 2021 reached 1.5 meters. However, after conducting a survey, the flood height in residents' homes once even reached 1.76 meters.

The cause of the flood, the shape of the river that meanders. So that the flow velocity decreases and the sediment carried by the flow accumulates in the corners or bends of the river.

"Apart from that, there are 2 rivers made by local residents that cut the natural river. This causes water to overflow into residents' homes, because the capacity of the river is reduced so the potential for flooding increases," he said.

When LPPM ITB held a discussion at the Hapo Village Office which was attended by several village officials, he said, they discussed how the early warning system that would be installed in the form of a monitoring system would work. Namely to monitor the water level in the river in Hapo Village.

"Then the installation of an automatic water level monitoring device as a tool for measuring river water level height, as well as a rain gauge which functions to measure rainfall which will be placed on the bridge as an early warning system for flood mitigation," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of Hapo Village, Buyung Bagindo, said that, as the Hapo Village Government, the arrival of the LPPM ITB Team in his village was aimed at monitoring the problems in Hapo Village and it was hoped that they could be resolved.

"We hope that ITB can coordinate with the Ministry of Villages to handle the flooding problem in Hapo Village. It is also hoped that the installation of this early warning system will help monitor water level levels in Hapo Village. "So it can facilitate efforts to deal with flooding problems in Hapo Village," he said