DPR member calls for equitable distribution of NTT earthquake aid
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) Ateng Sutisna has asked the government to ensure that aid for all victims of the earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is distributed evenly to all affected areas.
“The measure of success is whether aid reaches the residents who need it, how quickly victims receive assistance, and whether any area is overlooked in data collection or logistics distribution,” Ateng said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He further said that handling the NTT earthquake cannot be done partially, given the extensive affected area and the geographical character consisting of many archipelagic regions and areas that are difficult to access.
In line with that, according to Ateng, coordination between the central government, regional governments, BNPB, Basarnas, the TNI and Polri, volunteers, and humanitarian organisations needs to operate within a single clear command and information system.
Furthermore, Ateng encouraged the government to carry out detailed mapping of victims’ needs so that aid distribution can be adjusted to the conditions of each region. He also asked the government to use various modes of transport in distributing aid, including air and sea routes if land access is cut off or not possible.
“In an emergency situation, speed is important, but accuracy is also important. Do not let aid pile up at one point while other areas are lacking,” he said.
In addition to ensuring equitable aid distribution, Ateng also asked the government to accelerate the restoration of basic infrastructure affected by the earthquake, such as roads, health facilities, electricity networks, telecommunications, clean water, and internet access.
According to him, the government needs to have a single database of victims and damage that is continuously updated. Data on victims who died, were injured, missing, displaced, as well as residents requiring special services must be integrated between regional governments and relevant agencies.
BNPB previously reported provisional data that more than 5,000 people have been displaced, either independently or occupying public evacuation posts, because their homes suffered light to heavy damage due to the M7.7 earthquake.
Data collection by the joint officer team in the field recorded at least 914 houses suffered heavy damage, 126 moderate damage, and 317 light damage due to the earthquake tremors.
Severe damage also affected dozens of public facilities, including 93 educational facilities, 36 health facilities, and 38 government offices.
As of Monday (17/8), there were 68 fatalities. They came from Manggarai Regency with 26 people, East Manggarai Regency 24 people, Nagekeo Regency eight people, Sikka Regency four people, Ende Regency two people, West Manggarai Regency two people, and Ngada Regency two people.