Nias quake survivors want faster reconstruction

Nias quake survivors want faster reconstruction

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Almost a year after the tsunami, survivors on Nias in North
Sumatra have accused both the central and local administrations
of not moving fast enough in rehabilitation and reconstruction
efforts on the island.

The view was expressed in the latest study on tsunami and
earthquake survivor management conducted by the Institute for
Policy Study and Advocation in Medan.

The institute's executive director, Efendi Panjaitan, said
that nearly a year after the tsunami and nine months after the
massive earthquake that rocked the island in March, survivors had
not been informed of how long it would be before their houses
were rebuilt.

He said the survivors on the island were prepared to rebuild
at their own expense once the government gave them the go-ahead.

"Our field study in Nias shows that survivors face problems in
rebuilding their houses due to the absence of spatial planning,
making them remain in makeshift shelters," Efendi told The
Jakarta Post, adding that the construction of at least 300 houses
was indefinite as the government had yet to issue building
permits.

The tsunami, which devastated Aceh and part of North Sumatra
in December last year, and the quake which struck the island on
March 28 this year, claimed the lives of 685 people in Nias
regency and 165 in South Nias regency.

According to the institute's findings, 28,024 houses were
destroyed by the earthquake and the tsunami in Nias, and another
17,326 houses in South Nias.

A tsunami and earthquake survivor in South Nias, Hurezame
Sarumaha, said many people, particularly those from South Nias,
had been forced to seek a living in other areas, such as Riau,
West Sumatra and the North Sumatra capital of Medan.

Hurezame, a community leader and former Nias councillor, said
the government needed to act quickly before survivors left Nias
to start afresh, so they no longer had to live in temporary
housing.

Most of the survivors, he said, were aware that aid from
relief organizations had been sent to Nias, but had not been
distributed.

"We are not only the victims of the disasters now, but have
been deprived of relief aid," Hurezame said.

Head of the Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency
William Sahbandar said his office understood residents'
disappointment.

However, he denied that the delays were due to the
bureaucracy, saying the problems were mostly technical ones.

"The efforts in the rehabilitation and reconstruction process
on Nias are different from those in Aceh. On Nias, the most
crucial problem faced by us is transportation. However, we should
be optimistic that all things can be accomplished," said William.