NORTH LOMBOK, KOMPAS – A lack of information on refugee shelters and the needs of locals affected by the recent 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has hampered the distribution of aid following the catastrophe. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has been relying on the Qlue mobile app to compile a database of refugee shelters and refugees’ needs.
BNPB deputy of prevention and preparedness B. Wisnu Widjaja said the agency had found no problems in aid availability, but distribution was made difficult as there was little information on the exact locations of remote refugee shelters and what the refugees in those shelters need.
Thus far, there is no complete database of all refugee shelters, let alone a detailed list of the needs of refugees in those shelters. “If we can gain this information quickly, we can also distribute aid quickly,” Wisnu said after an earthquake management evaluation meeting at the North Lombok regent’s office in NTB on Sunday (12/8/2018) afternoon.
The BNPB is collaborating with Qlue to tackle this problem and help locals and field officers compile a database of refugee shelters, along with their coordinates and the refugees’ list of needs. The success of the Qlue database depends on everyone’s active participation. “Locals and volunteers can participate [in updating the data],” said Qlue director of customer success Norman Ganto.
Wisnu said volunteers and field officers should be trained to use Qlue. If the application turns out to be effective in mapping refugee shelters and facilitating speedy aid distribution, Wisnu said the application could also be used in other regions affected by natural disasters. Currently, the BNPB is working with students of Mataram State Islamic University who are serving as volunteers to help tackle problems at refugee shelters.
In Jakarta, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the limited number of vehicles also hindered aid distribution. “The BNPB has spoken about this with the Transportation Ministry, which plans to provide vehicles from [state public transportation operator] PT Damri,” he said on Sunday.
In the field, clean water and tents are among the refugees’ most urgent needs. On Sunday, there were still refugees facing difficulties in obtaining clean water. This can lead to the spread of illnesses.
Lombok earthquake mitigation task force commander Col. Ahmad Rizal Ramdani conveyed this in a daily evaluation meeting at the integrated post on Sunday. Staple needs, portable bathing, washing and toilet facilities and portable generators are also needed.
The National Police have provided 12 water trucks, which, along with six trucks from the NTB administration and four trucks from the Indonesian Military (TNI), distribute clean water to refugee shelters every day. “Due to the vastness [of the affected area], there are many unserved shelters,” Ahmad said.
Number of victims
Data from the integrated earthquake emergency response post on Sunday afternoon showed that there were 435 fatalities in the disaster, along with 570 suffering from severe injuries, 783 suffering from minor injuries and 352,793 locals staying at refugee shelters. The data also showed that 52,812 homes and 458 schools were damaged.
BNPB data show that there were 392 fatalities, 783 suffering from severe injuries, 570 suffering from minor injuries, 387,067 people in refugee shelters and 67,875 damaged homes.
The number of fatalities may still go up as search and rescue teams are still operating in two locations in North Lombok.
(ILO/SYA/RUL/TAN)