Beyond The Source: Surge Capacity Failure and Cascading Risks in the Management of a Localized Radiological Emergency

Abstract

Localized technological emergencies can trigger cascading risks that overwhelm standard response protocols, yet evidence from resource-constrained urban settings remains sparse. This case study investigates the management of a localized radiological incident in a dense tropical neighborhood of Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, which unfolded under COVID-19 restrictions. The response stress-tested the national emergency management system, revealing a critical surge capacity failure: the generation of 906 drums of waste rapidly saturated the country's centralized predisposal infrastructure, forcing ad-hoc staging that compromised safety controls. Beyond logistics, the incident exposed cascading public health risks through often-overlooked ecological pathways, with Cs-137 activity in turmeric leaves reaching ~39,900 Bq/kg and leading to detectable internal contamination in residents. While excavation and capping reduced surface dose rates by >95%, this strategy transferred immediate risk into a long-term stewardship liability, creating new governance challenges. Our findings demonstrate how geographically confined incidents can expose profound systemic fragilities in urban disaster management. We conclude by proposing a resilient framework to guide future responses, focusing on decentralized surge-tolerant waste logistics, the explicit integration of ecological pathways into early warning systems, and performance-based triggers for long-term stewardship. These transferable lessons are crucial for moving from reactive emergency control to adaptive risk governance, particularly in resource-limited cities facing complex technological hazards.