The Central Sulawesi post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction plan was responsible for completing the permanent housing for survivors by the end of 2020.
By
Videlis Jemali
·4 minutes read
It may be good for decision-makers from Jakarta and Palu to live for a week at the temporary shelter (huntara) of survivors of the Palu earthquake, tsunami and liquefaction in Central Sulawesi.
At the very least, in doing so they will experience the distressing life that the fellow citizens displaced by the natural disasters have been enduring for the past two and a half years at the temporary settlement.
How hopeful they were that the government would immediately fulfill its promises in the wake of the disaster that rocked the region on Sept. 28, 2018, including the promise that they would be relocated to a safe place and given permanent housing.
It was the second time Ariyati (32) was carrying her 5-month-old baby out of the stuffy room to take in some fresh air. She was trying to console her youngest son, who kept crying because he was hot.
The condition there is better than the main room of the temporary shelter, a standard structure that has only two windows.
Afrizal was placed in a swing in the main room’s extension, installed by her husband Taufik (38) and which doubles as a kiosk. The condition there is better than the main room of the temporary shelter, a standard structure that has only two windows.
While the sun was blazing hot that Monday (31/5/2021), the wind wasn’t blowing as usual in the complex of temporary shelters for disaster survivors in Petobo subdistrict of South Palu district, Palu.
“Whenever the wind does not blow strong enough, he always cries because he is hot. Once he is sleeping soundly, we feel free to carry out activities in the temporary shelter," Ariyati said, cradling her son in her arms.
The family has been living in the temporary shelter since April 2019, six months since the earthquake, tsunami and soil liquefaction disaster forced them to evacuate their village.
Along with their two children, they are now waiting to be relocated to new permanent housing under the government’s post-disaster reconstruction program.
They have been selling basic needs at the 4 meter-by-3 meter kiosk for two years to make ends meet.
The temporary shelters they live in, as do fellow disaster survivors, were built as stilt houses. The floor and the wall between the rooms are made of plywood. Other temporary shelters are scattered in the subdistricts of Talise, Mamboro, Lere and Pantoloan.
The residents share other facilities, including kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets. Clean water was initially a major problem before wells were drilled.
Government’s promise
Taufik had never imagined he would still be living in a temporary shelter in mid-2021, given that the government had promised to complete the construction of permanent housing by the end of 2020 or at the very least, by early 2021.
"I\'m just trying to be patient. But the government also needs to work hard to ensure that the problems with permanent housing are resolved quickly, especially the land issue. This problem has been dragging on for a long time. How come they have not settled it yet?" he said.
However, only 2,000 of the 6,000 permanent housing units planned for Palu have been completed and are inhabited.
The Central Sulawesi post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction plan was responsible for completing the permanent housing for survivors by the end of 2020. However, only 2,000 of the 6,000 permanent housing units planned for Palu have been completed and are inhabited. They are located in the subdistricts of Tondo (Tondo I), Duyu and Balaroa.
Taufik said he had decided to settle in the Tondo II permanent housing settlement in Tondo subdistrict, Mantikulore district, about 8 kilometers from the Petobo temporary shelter complex.
However, it does not seem that his hopes for immediate relocation will be realized soon. The construction project in Tondo as well as in Talise subdistrict, both in Mantikulore, is still dealing with a dispute following land claims brought by the local residents of Talise, Tondo, and Talise Valangguni.
Construction has been suspended while negotiations are underway to find a solution to the issue.
Kasiron (34), a tsunami survivor living at the Talise temporary shelter complex, is also hoping for permanent housing.
“We pray that all the problems related to housing will be resolved soon. We believe the government can find the best solution,” he said, expressing his hopes.
Ridwan Lapasere, a coordinator at the Central Sulawesi Implementing Body for Daily Assessment and Human Rights Studies, has urged the government to prioritize the provision of permanent residential land for disaster survivors.
Housing was one of the issues in post-disaster reconstruction management that needed immediate resolution.
“How long must the people live in temporary shelters? The lives of earthquake survivors are a humanitarian concern that the government must see to quickly," he said.