Relief operations in Irian Jaya shift to food sufficiency
JAKARTA (JP): Relief operations in drought-hit Irian Jaya jointly conducted by the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) will be followed by efforts to help the local people reach self-sufficiency in food, an ICRC official said yesterday.
ICRC's regional medical delegate, Ferenc Mayer, said with people no longing dying of starvation in the Mimika subdistrict, humanitarian aid would now focus on the cultivation of sweet potatoes, the staple of the Irianese.
"Our program will run until the local people can get their own harvest. That's why this initial program is intended for six months," Mayer said.
The relief operations cover nine remote villages in the highlands of the southern part of Jayawijaya mountain. They include Ilaga, Jila, Bela, Alama, Mbua and Mapenduma.
Mayer, who took part in the release of nine hostages held by the Irian Jaya separatist movement (GPK) in May last year, said the relief could be extended, as in some places it would take the potatoes up to nine months to grow.
The ICRC has sought advice from experts at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture in Bogor, West Java, regarding the possibility of giving sweet potato seeds to the people of Irian Jaya.
"Now that it has started raining there, the plants will grow. But it takes time (before harvest). In between, they will not have anything to eat," Mayer said.
For the time being, the Irianese are receiving highly nutritious food, known as Compact Food, dispatched from the Mayer-led team's base camp in Timika.
The ICRC and PMI sent a seven-member team including two doctors, two nurses, a nutritionist and a malaria specialist to the remote villages on Nov. 19.
The preliminary relief team found that more than 230 people had died of malaria, pneumonia and malnutrition in the previous two months prior to their arrival. The victims of malnutrition were mostly children.
Mayer said yesterday the rampant malaria may be spread by the long drought largely blamed on the El Nio effect. Normally, malaria was rarely found in the highlands, he said.
He said erratic weather had hampered relief activities in the villages which are 1,000 meters above sea level and 30 kilometers from Mimika. Difficult terrain has forced the relief team to use a helicopter to reach the villages.
"We are now seeking a bigger helicopter to dispatch food, medicine and blankets to the people," Mayer said, adding that the present helicopter could only carry three people.
"A bigger chopper will enable us to bring more people and distribute more stuff," Mayer said.
A small helicopter costs the ICRC US$50,000 per month, while a bigger one will cost twice as much.
Mayer said the relief team would spend an estimated $3.5 million for six months. Several countries, including Switzerland, Australia, Britain, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark and the United States, have contributed or pledged financial aid commitments to the relief operations. (amd)