Bringing Hope in Humanity to Majene

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Earthquake survivors brought aid through land landslides in the village of Kabkir, Ulumanda District, Majene Regency, West Sulawesi, on Wednesday (20/1/2021).

It was still dark Wednesday (20/1/2021) when Yayat and a dozen of his fellow students left Majene, the provincial capital of West Sulawesi, and headed to Kabiraan village, which had been cut off because of the recent earthquake.

Their lecturer, Zakir Sabara, accompanied the group of industrial engineering students from the Muslim University of Indonesia (UMI) in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The group had been volunteering since Friday (15/1), the first day an earthquake struck Majene, to help refugees of the disaster in the regency.

On that Wednesday morning, their destination was none other than Kabiraan village in Ulumanda district. Kompas joined them on their journey.

Kabiraan is one of several villages that had been cut off since a series of earthquakes struck the regency. Landslides had buried several sections of the road and left these villages inaccessible. The electricity and communication networks had also been disrupted. The villages of Tandi Allo and Popenga in Ulumanda district as, well as several other villages in Malunda district, were also facing a similar situation.

Located about 10 kilometers from the main road connecting Majene and Mamuju, Kabiraan is situated in the highlands and the only access is a road that is abutted by a cliff on one side and a ravine on the other.

The group had no choice but to park their car there and then make their way through the mud.

One section of the road was blocked by a rock as big as a medium-sized truck and many other large rocks, as well as a layer of mud from 30 centimeters to 1 meter deep. Around 200 square meters of the cliff had collapsed. The group had no choice but to park their car there and then make their way through the mud.

Several local residents on motorcycles tried to pass the road, but they struggled to dislodge their vehicles from the mud at some points.

Still hazardous

The road to Kabiraan is still hazard-prone. Large boulders are poised on the cliff above, just waiting to fall. Other sections of the road are split by longitudinal fractures. Looking into the ravine presents a frightening view. At the bottom is a pile of rocks and soil from the cliff, and a portion of the concrete road stuck up from the debris below.

We seemed to be risking our lives by walking along this part of the road. During the trek, there was a fear that the rocks above could collapse any time. Escape would not be possible, because the land fell off on the other side of the road.

AP PHOTO/YUSUF WAHIL

People react as the body of a relative is recovered from the rubble of a building at an area affected by an earthquake in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. A strong, shallow earthquake shook Indonesia\'s Sulawesi island just after midnight Friday, toppling homes and buildings, triggering landslides.

That same day, other volunteers from the National Student Movement of Indonesia (GMNI) in Majene also headed to Kabiraan, bringing supplies for the refugees. Everyone looked carefully where they walked and kept an eye out for more solid ground to walk on, while they carried the supplies on their shoulders.

Among those who tried to reach the isolated areas was literacy activist Ridwan Alimuddin, who owns the Nusa Pustaka library. He was working with maritime organization Rintara Jaya to provide assistance to the survivors of the earthquake.

"Every time the survey team returns from the field, [their] findings are discussed, from the number of evacuation points and victims to their most urgent needs, as well as access to [the locations]. So, when we deliver the aid, we already have the data, including the road to the locations,” said Ridwan.

When the first earthquake occurred on Thursday afternoon (14/1), the residents of Kabiraan fled their homes. Some went to the lowlands, while some stayed in the village and slept in makeshift tents in the street or schoolyards.

The second earthquake on Friday morning caused large rocks to fall into road.

The first earthquake triggered landslides that flowed over the village road between the main road and the village. However, motorcycles could still pass the road. The second earthquake on Friday morning caused large rocks to fall into road.

"Some tried to pass over the cliff. The condition was very dangerous, because rocks were still falling. We decided to stay in the village while waiting for help,” said Jabaruddin (50), a village resident.

Seeking help

The help they waited for did not come, while the villagers’ supplies started running low. In consultation with the village head, it was agreed that kiosk owners and others who ran businesses would distribute their food supplies to other residents.

"In the end, I left the village. I had to get help for the residents,” said Kabiraan village head Paharuddin.

He went on foot through the forest amid the risk of landslides to the main relief post in Malunda district, where supplies were piling up. Unfortunately, his efforts to request assistance for the villagers residents were unsuccessful. He got nothing.

Paharuddin then tried to find anyone who could help the villagers, and came across the UMI students. Zakir, one of the students, took a photograph of the impacts of the earthquake on Kabiraan and then uploaded it to social media, which went viral.

KOMPAS/RENY SRI AYU

Zakir Sabara, lecturer at the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) Makassar, in South Sulawesi.

On Tuesday (19/1), the fifth day after the earthquake, heavy equipment was finally sent to the road. However, the excavator could not remove the large boulder in the road, and was only able to remove a few rocks.

It was in this situation that the volunteers proved to be of real help to the survivors. They were on hand in the village and also helped distributed the aid that was entrusted to them.

Responding to the call to humanity and faith, the volunteers are crossing borders and risking their lives to break through the bounds of fear.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).