Irony of Mitigation in Tsunami-Affected Regions

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

An emergency shelter in Labuan district, Pandeglang, Banten, has been neglected, as seen on Sunday (30/12/2018). The building, the construction of which was part of disaster mitigation efforts, was unusable when the Dec. 22 tsunami hit nearby areas. Construction of the building was hampered by corruption.

Hundreds of lives were lost and thousands of people fled their homes after the tsunami hit the shores of Banten and Lampung on Dec. 22, 2018. Ironically, disaster mitigation facilities that should have minimized the number of victims had been neglected as a result of corruption.

Tuniah, 43, vividly remembered how huge waves struck her home from the direction of her backyard. The local of Teluk village, Labuan district, Pandeglang regency, Banten, immediately ran while carrying her husband, who had not been able to walk for several months. Tuniah had no idea where to seek shelter. “I just ran to my child’s house,” Tuniah said on Sunday (30/12).

Tuniah’s child\'s house was close to the beach and just one kilometer from her house. But she had no idea where else to go. This was despite an emergency shelter for tsunami survivors being located just 1.5 kilometers from there. The 2,456-square-meter and 100-meter-high building was constructed in 2014.

“Locals call it the Tsunami Building,” Tuniah said, adding that she refused to go inside it as it looked dirty, unusable and full of graffiti from the outside.

Half-finished

It is no wonder that locals had no idea where to go when the tsunami hit. The emergency shelter looked half-finished and neglected. A roof had not been installed and trash was everywhere.

“Young people often come here to gather with friends,” said Agum, 17, a resident of Labuan village in Labuan district. The student, who often spends time at the shelter, said he often saw teenagers drinking beer and having sex in the building.

The shelter remained unfinished because its Rp 18 billion (US$1.23 million) construction budget had been embezzled. The Banten Police investigated the case, in which three people were convicted: Ahmad Gunawan, Takwin Ali Muchtar and Wiarso Joko Pranolo. Gunawan was a commitment project officer at the Public Works and Housing Ministry, Takwin was the director of PT Tidar Sejahtera and Joko was a project manager at PT Tidar Sejahtera.

Takwin and Joko were convicted for neglecting to ensure that the building was fully functional. Gunawan was convicted for agreeing to pay for a building that was not fully functional. Earlier this year, the Serang District Court sentenced the three to 15 months in prison.

In 2017, the police sealed the shelter. A few months later, local public minivan drivers requested that the building be unsealed. As the building was constructed on what was formerly the Labuan bus terminal, the drivers felt that they had a right to put the shelter to use.

Nowadays, public minivans pack the shelter’s compound and its surrounding streets. Dozens of street vendors have also set up shop there, thereby covering the building’s signage.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) emergency repairs director Medi Herlianto said the shelter could house around 3,000 displaced persons on its top two levels. “The case [in Pandeglang] can be a lesson for other places,” he said.

Due to its unfinished condition and the fact that locals were never informed of its use, many of those from outside Labuan district, such as Samsiah, 50, a survivor from Sukarame village in Carita district, had no idea that the building even existed. Samsiah said she should have gone to the building when the tsunami hit. “Going to the building would have been easier than running toward the mountain as the journey is really far,” she said.

Pandeglang Regent Irna Narulita said she had filed a request with the police to use the shelter to house tsunami survivors. “We will put the building to use immediately, but we want to make sure of its adequacy and safety first,” said Irna, adding that she would also reorganize the illegal parking of public minivans at the building (NIA/MTK/BAY/ILO/E10/E17)