West Timor locals cry famine, govt officials reject claim

West Timor locals cry famine, govt officials reject claim

Yemris Fointuna and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

A food shortage in certain areas of East Nusa Tenggara province
is becoming more serious. Residents living in affected areas said
on Monday that they were beginning to experience difficulty in
getting enough food, and that their rice barns were now empty.

They said that with their rice supples now depleted, they were
now eating anything available, including corn, cassava and
arbila, a kind of forest nut.

"The prolonged drought has caused the rice plantings to fail,
leading to rice scarcity," said Siprianus Taebenu, a resident of
Tunbaun subdistrict, Kupang regency.

"Our rice barn has been depleted. We don't know what to do,"
said Maksi Taneo, a resident of South Central Timor regency.

Despite their complaints, the East Nusa Tenggara government
claims that there was no famine in the province.

"Ten out of 18 regencies are facing a situation that may lead
to famine. However, famine has yet to actually happen in those
regencies," said Frans Leburaya, deputy governor of East Nusa
Tenggara province, without elaborating.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Alwi Shihab, the
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare.

"I have called the East Nusa Tenggara Governor. There has been
no starvation. There is a lack of food and a water shortage, but
everything is still under control," said Alwi.

He said that he had asked the local administration to assist
certain areas in East Nusa Tenggara that are facing food and
water shortages due to drought.

Separately, chief of the social agency at the East Nusa
Tenggara provincial administration, Welhelmus Padja, said that
the provincial government had prepared 50 tons of rice to be
distributed to areas affected by the drought.

In order to tackle the water shortage, the provincial
administration would explore the possibility of drilling
groundwater wells, said Welhelmus.