Jakarta, April 2 -- The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said it will conduct a trial of an Earthquake Early Warning System (EEWS) capable of providing up to 20 seconds for people to evacuate before strong shaking occurs.

BMKG Head Teuku Faisal Fathani said here on Thursday that the trial will be conducted this month in Jakarta, West Java, and Lampung, following one to two years of development.

"This month, we will begin operational trials of the Earthquake Early Warning System," he said.

He explained that the system works by detecting primary waves (P-waves), which travel faster than the more destructive secondary waves (S-waves).

By monitoring these initial waves, the system can estimate the arrival time of str...