Academic reminds that post-disaster recovery is not merely physical reconstruction

Jakarta (ANTARA) — An academic from the University of North Sumatra (USU), Wahyu Ario Pratomo, has reminded that post-disaster recovery cannot be judged solely by physical reconstruction.

This is because, he said, the government needs to assess whether communities have truly been able to return to normal life.

“The measure of successful recovery must not stop at how many houses have been completed or how many kilometres of road have been repaired,” Wahyu said in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.

He therefore considered the attention paid by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka during his inspection of several post-disaster recovery sites in Central Tapanuli, Sibolga and South Tapanuli in North Sumatra on Friday (4/9) — particularly to housing and basic services — to be of great importance.

The series of visits covered residents’ housing, schools, bridges and disaster control infrastructure.

At several locations, he said, the recovery process appeared to be well under way. In Aek Parombunan, for instance, some permanent housing had been handed over to residents, whilst the construction of other units was still ongoing.

Meanwhile in South Tapanuli, he added, the government continued to push for the acceleration of permanent housing for communities still in a transitional period.

Wahyu said the Vice President’s emphasis on ensuring recovery touches on education, employment and communities’ economic activity was the right direction.

In his view, new housing must be accompanied by the availability of basic services and sources of livelihood, such as clean water, sanitation, electricity, schools, health facilities, transport, employment and economic activity centres.

“If a house is finished but residents have lost their source of livelihood, then in substance the recovery process is not yet complete,” he said.

For this reason, he said the Vice President’s visit needed to serve as a moment to ensure that reconstruction does not merely restore conditions to how they were before the disaster, but also makes communities safer and more resilient in facing future risks.

During the visit, Gibran pushed for stronger collaboration between central and regional governments to accelerate post-disaster recovery from floods and landslides in North Sumatra.

“Regional officials are the spearhead of implementation on the ground. Go down to the field directly, check what is still lacking, check the condition of the residents,” Gibran said.

He asked the regional leadership coordination forum (forkopimda) to ensure that people’s various needs and obstacles during the transition period are addressed directly in the field.

These needs encompass basic necessities and housing, access and public services, as well as the restoration of community activities and livelihoods.

The Vice President also asked regional governments not to leave residents waiting too long when they encounter obstacles during the recovery process.

According to him, every issue must be identified promptly and coordinated with the central government in order to reach a resolution.