Nias begs for more world attention
Nias begs for more world attention
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Almost a year after two devastating natural disasters struck Nias
Island in North Sumatra, some 4,000 families are still living in
makeshift shelters and thousands of students are studying under
tents, desperately waiting for aid from donor countries.
Most refugees have lost relatives, their houses and their jobs
because of the double disasters, and are reliant on help from
volunteers and activists from foreign non-governmental
organizations and the Nias-Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Agency (BRR) that have been supplying their daily needs.
Thousands of students have been attending classes in temporary
camps because school buildings have yet to be rebuilt.
"It's ironic that the situation on the island is still far
from normal 10 months after the earthquake. Don't compare it with
the relatively better conditions in Aceh," William Sabandar, BRR
representative in Gunung Sitoli, Nias, told The Jakarta Post
after a BRR Nias Island stakeholder meeting here on Tuesday.
Nias was as devastated as Aceh following the Dec. 26 tsunami.
But the island was further devastated when another major
earthquake shook it three months later.
According to Sabandar, only 200 new houses have been built out
of the 13,000 the BRR plans to construct. About 50,000 houses
also need to be renovated.
"By April 2006, a total of 1,000 houses will be built and the
construction of the remaining 12,000 will follow in accordance
with the pledges of donor countries. We are in need of Rp 1.1
trillion (US$110 million) for the house construction and
rehabilitation project," he said.
UNICEF has pledged to help finance the construction of 160 new
school buildings and foreign NGOs have promised financial aid to
put up 100 school buildings, while BRR has committed to
constructing 60 school buildings.
A total of 770 school buildings and hundreds of churches and
mosques were severely damaged during the disasters.
Subandar said that besides financial shortages, difficult
access due to the devastated infrastructure had hampered BRR in
supplying construction materials to the worst-hit areas.
"Some 19 projects worth Rp 431 billion to rehabilitate damaged
roads, bridges, hospitals, public health centers and schools are
still underway. We hope the projects can be completed within
two years," he said.
Separately, BRR chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto confirmed that the
reconstruction and rehabilitation work in Nias was far slower
than in Aceh because of a shortage of finance.
While there has been criticism, progress has been achieved in
Aceh because 96 percent of donor countries' donations had been
used in the province, but Nias had remained untouched, he said.
"After the tsunami devastated Aceh and Nias last year, donor
countries and the government committed to providing only 4
percent of their total donations to Nias. No new commitment was
given following the March 18 earthquake that left 40,000 people
homeless and almost 1,000 school buildings, churches and mosques
damaged," he said.
The government and donor countries have so far committed
themselves to providing $2.1 billion of the $7.1 billion in total
donations to Nias within four years.
Following the devastating quake, Kuntoro said, BRR has asked
donor countries and the government to allocate between 12 percent
and 17 percent of total donations for Nias because of the
extensive damage and the vast amount of reconstruction needed.
Attending Tuesday's meeting were representatives of the World
Bank, UN, foreign NGOs, foreign ambassadors and North Sumatra
deputy governor Rudolf Pardede.
"Donor countries and BRR agree to prioritize road and bridge
reconstruction projects to give easier access to the supply of
construction materials to worst-hit remote areas on the island,"
Kuntoro said.
Besides the World Bank, UN and foreign NGOs, Germany, Sweden
and China have expressed their commitment to providing financial
aid to Nias.
Another meeting of stakeholders is scheduled for Jan. 17 in
Gunung Sitoli.