10,000 Indonesians still living in shelters one year after Java earthquake

The Straits Times, May 25, 2007


FORGOTTEN?: Partially paralysed Mr Jumali, one of the 1.6 million left homeless when an earthquake destroyed thousands of houses, is still staying with his wife at his makeshift bamboo shelter in Bantul.




BANTUL (INDONESIA) - MR JUMALI, one of thousands left homeless around the city of Yogyakarta after a massive earthquake a year ago, fears he has been forgotten.

'I have been living in this hut since the quake because I have not received the 15 million rupiah (S$2,600) the government is giving survivors,' he said outside the bamboo shelter he shares with his wife in the hard-hit Bantul district.

The 47-year-old's house was among 140,000 that were destroyed in the disaster near Yogyakarta in Central Java. The 6.3 magnitude quake that struck last May 27 killed 5,778 people and caused US$3.1 billion (S$4.7 million) in damages.

Reconstruction has been frenetic. Aid agencies have helped to repair homes and the 1,200 badly damaged schools, as well as provide grants to restart businesses.

But bamboo huts and tents continue to dot the landscape - particularly in Bantul - in contrast to the brick-and-concrete homes under construction.

Up to 10,000 people are still living in basic shelters in the Bantul and nearby Klaten areas, a government and World Bank survey said, as the authorities struggle to reach all the 1.6 million made homeless.

Besides the destroyed homes, about 190,000 others were badly damaged, making them unsafe to live in.

Although he fears his home may never be rebuilt, Mr Jumali keeps busy selling sweets and cigarettes outside his shelter in Canden village.

Partially paralysed from a stroke several years ago, he tries to stay positive. He has a wheelchair donated by the Indonesian Red Cross, which 'makes life much easier'.

Bantul administrator Idham Samawi insisted that Bantul, known for its rice production and pottery, is almost back on its feet.

'Recovery and reconstruction are almost done. About 90 per cent of damaged houses, schools and public health facilities have been rebuilt.'

The national government said it has provided 15 million rupiah per home in the worst-hit regions to help with repairs in a scheme that has cost 2.7 trillion rupiah.

The same amount has been allocated in the 2007 budget for the remaining homes.

Farmer Agung Sudharto from Jetis village in Bantul is among those who have received help.

He and his family moved into their concrete house a week ago, and hope it will help ease the trauma they still suffer. He recalls his teenage son holding back a falling cupboard that threatened to crush him and his heavily pregnant wife as their house collapsed around them.

They escaped, but his other son, 11, did not, he said. His wife gave birth the next day.

In nearby Surenwetan village, Madam Purkasih, 70, is grateful that a Christian aid agency offered to rebuild her home, despite the painful memories it holds - her sister was buried in the rubble when the house collapsed.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE