Hoping for Better Life in ‘Huntara’

· 5 minutes read

Twenty-two-year-old M. Akbar was looking at the screen of his laptop. His hand moved the mouse and then returned to typing on the keyboard as he patiently read reference materials to formulate his undergraduate thesis.

“I can use my laptop comfortably in this huntara [temporary housing]. I want to submit my research proposal soon. This would have been difficult if I were still at the emergency shelter,” Akbar, a student at the Tadulako University economics school, said on Thursday (1/31/2019) in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

Together with his father Rusdin, 53, mother and two siblings, Akbar now lives in a huntara in Silae subdistrict of Ulujadi district, Palu. They moved to the temporary housing on Dec. 28, 2018, three months after Palu, Donggala and Sigi were devastated by an earthquake, a tsunami and soil liquefaction. The disaster damaged the walls and floor of their house and caused it to lean.

Before moving to the huntara, the family lived in an emergency shelter just 200 meters from the Silae huntara compound. The 24-square-meter tarpaulin tent, which had several holes, housed 13 members of three families.

The tent was hot during the day and it leaked when it rained. Strong winds battered the flimsy walls of the tent and it had limited lighting. When he still lived there, Akbar worried that he needed more time to draft his thesis subject.

He said that after moving to the huntara, he could finally find some peace, clear his mind and concentrate on his thesis.

Akbar planned to research economic improvements for local fishermen after the earthquake and tsunami. “I don’t want to be a college student for too long. The disaster has pushed me not to be a burden to my family,” he said.

His father Rusdin said the huntara was much more comfortable than the emergency tent. “We have no worries at the huntara, rain or shine,” he said.

A fan is installed in each room of the huntara, which was built by the Public Works and Housing Ministry. From the outside, the huntara resembles a stilt house. Each room is 3.6 meters by 4.8 meters.

Survivors can lead relatively normal lives at the huntara. The 450 VA electricity supply is enough for their daily needs, including watching television.

“I often visit my neighbor to watch TV,” said Rusdin, pointing to another room in the huntara, whose occupant had a TV.

Despite all the “luxuries” of the huntara, several problems still exist. The biggest problem is the lack of a clean water supply. Residents keenly feel the clean water shortage at the two huntara compounds in Silae and Duyu subdistricts in Tatanga district, Palu, especially in the mornings, when they are starting their days.

To overcome the problem, the residents store water in jerry cans, bottles or any container they might have. They go out in search for water to houses outside the huntara.

“We try to accept [the water shortage], but it would be great if the water supply worked properly. Water is currently supplied just once a day. It would be better if water was supplied in the morning and the afternoon for all units,” said Arwan Hadi, 56, who lives at the Duyu huntara complex.

A water truck currently supplies clean water to the complexes. According to Rudy of the Public Works and Housing Ministry’s Central Sulawesi disaster mitigation task force, plumbing is still being installed at the huntara complexes.

The government built the huntara so the disaster survivors had a more stable structure to live in while they waited for their damaged homes to be rebuilt or for their new permanent homes to be completed.

The government aims to build 669 of the total 1,200 huntara units needed in the first phase of construction. By mid-January, 217 huntara units had been completed in Palu city and Sigi and Donggala regencies.

Readers’ donation

Among the huntara nearing completion are two units that were sponsored through the donations of Kompas readers and the Kompas Humanitarian Fund’s Indonesian guitarists community. The two units are located in Lolu village, Sigi, and in Kabonena subdistrict, Palu. Each huntara compound holds 16 units, each containing 10 rooms.

On Thursday, the two huntara compounds were handed over to the local administrations at a ceremony held at the huntara complex in Lolu village. Apart from the temporary houses, the government also plans to build permanent public facilities, including puskesmas (community health centers) and schools, which was still under study.

Suharni, 43, said that she was glad she would be moving into a huntara soon. She said that the rooms in a huntara would be a better place for her and her only child to stay, compared to the emergency shelter in front of her house in Lolu village. Suharni’s house was severely damaged during the earthquake four months ago.

At the huntara handover ceremony, Kompas deputy CEO Budiman Tanuredjo said the temporary houses aimed to provide safer accommodation and more comfort for survivors.

Palu municipal secretary Asri L. Sawayah and Sigi Deputy Regent Paulina Martono said expressed appreciation for the private sector and social agencies for their contributions to disaster management in Central Sulawesi, including logistics aid and building temporary and permanent housing. Local administrations in Central Sulawesi had a limited budget for disaster recovery.

Musicians Oppie Andaresta and Dewa Budjana, who initiated the Indonesian guitarists community’s fundraising efforts for disaster survivors in Central Sulawesi, said they were ready to take humanitarian action to aid disaster survivors, and would strengthen their future efforts. (VIDELIS JEMALI)

Editor:

huntara disaster survivors the kompas humanitarian fund’s