Some power, phones back on in Aceh, as fuel dwindles
Leony Aurora and Rendy A. Witular, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Basic services have slowly begun to return to areas devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam on Sunday, but progress has been hampered by difficult field conditions and a lack of fuel.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina was facing great difficulties in providing fuel as many of its employees, especially those in distribution, were swept away by the tsunami.
"What is crucial is to keep the diesel stocks full for PLN's operational needs," he told reporters on Tuesday, referring to state electricity firm PT PLN.
Pertamina is currently capable of providing enough diesel to fuel depots to last six to seven days.
"We will supply the fuel from Medan," Purnomo said.
Most electricity and communication lines were cut down by tidal waves caused by the 9.0-magnitude tremor, which have thus far killed more than 5,000 people in the war-torn province.
PLN corporate secretary Mulyo Adji said electricity in 30 percent of Banda Aceh had returned to normal, especially to hospitals and refugee camps. Damages to the city's power installations alone are estimated at Rp 272 billion (US$29.24 million).
"The power generators are working. However, the distribution network to houses is severely damaged," Mulyo told The Jakarta Post. "We also need diesel for the generators," he said, adding that some 80 percent of its network in Lhokseumawe and Sigli had been restored.
Meanwhile, state-owned telecommunications firm PT Telkom said although the central telephone exchange in Banda Aceh was operational, fixed-line services remained out of order, as the connecting cables were buried under meters of mud.
Business service director Suryatin Setiawan told the Post that a Telkom team had been sent from Medan to help clean the debris.
"We will focus on several key areas, such as the governor's office. Hopefully, the phones there can be used within the week," he said.
"Our main problem now is electricity. We are relying on generators, but they cannot run continuously," Suryatin said.
Flexi, Telkom's fixed wireless service, is operating as usual and as of Tuesday morning, its cellular service Telkomsel was restored in Banda Aceh.
Suryatin said Telkom would send dozens of Flexi-compatible public telephones at its offices and refugee camps.
Meanwhile, the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) said Banda Aceh had a stock of 4,580 tons of rice. "We have distributed about 50 tons of rice to emergency kitchens," said Bulog president director Widjanarko Puspoyo.
Rice warehouses in Sigli and Lhokseumawe have a stock of 6,675 tons and 6,000 tons of rice, respectively.
"If there is not enough rice, we will bring in more from Medan. The roads are already passable, so there will be no disruptions in distribution," said Widjanarko.