RELOCATION OF PONOROGO LANDSLIDE VICTIMS PREFERRED by Fardah

Jakarta, April 6, 2017 (Antara)- A major landslide that buried 28 people and 35 homes in Banaran Village, Pulung Sub-district, Ponorogo District, East Java Province, has caused national concern that prompted Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa to visit the disaster-hit area soon after the disaster occurred on April 1, 2017.
       Due to incessant heavy rains and difficult terrain, only three bodies have been found so far, while the remaining 25 are feared still buried under thick mud and rubble.
         A 1,640-member  joint search and rescue team that comprises , among others, volunteers, disaster mitigation officers, police and military officers, has continued to look for missing victims.
          The landslide has injured at least 17 people and displaced 178 others, while three survivors were rescued immediately after the disaster.
         Both Minister Khofifah and Chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Willem Rampangilei, have strongly recommended a relocation of villagers affected by the landslide.
        Relocation is a must as a study has shown that the area is highly prone to landslide because the gradient of Gede cliff in the village, is 60 degrees.
        The study was conducted by the Yogyakarta-based University of Gadjah Mada in cooperation with the BNPB and the Center of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.     
     Spatial change of land use and heavy rains were among the factors that triggered the deadly landslide, according to the study.

         "The causes of the landslide in Ponorogo are quite complex," Bagus Bestari Kamarulah, a member of a swift study team, stated.   
    The team also found cracks on the right and left sides of the Gede Cliff in a radius of up to 150 meters from the landslide spot.
        Besides, on the slope of Gede Cliff, the local people have planted ginger and bamboo plants.
        "These types of plants are not suitable for cliff areas. They should be planted below the cliff," he remarked.   
   The landslide hit when most of the people were harvesting ginger in the fields located on the slope, and other were still in their houses.
        Moreover, the high precipitation had also caused the landslide. Incessant downpours had lashed the cliff for three days prior to the landslide.
          The BNPB has warned the local villagers to anticipate more landslides, as further rains were forecast to fall in the area in the current rainy season.
         The study indicated that the village is at risk of landslides, Tri Budiarto, deputy in charge of disaster emergency mitigation at the BNPB, pointed out.
          Therefore, Minister Khofifah is of the view that "an option for most areas prone to landslides is relocation."
     To support the relocation plan, the district administration must allocate a plot of land, she said, adding that relevant ministries will build houses for the victims, and the Social Affairs Ministry will provide furniture and other equipment, as well as social allowances.
          The Minister provided aid worth Rp1.34 billion to help the victims, while she visited them and checked a public kitchen set up to feed the refugees, on April 2.
          Of Rp1.34 billion, Rp420 million would be used to compensate families who lost relatives due to the landslide. Meanwhile, each injured victim would receive Rp5 million.
           In the meantime, Rampangilei has called on the Ponorogo district government to immediately relocate all residents affected by the landslide in Banaran Village.
          "We have urged the local government to immediately provide a place to relocate the people affected by the landslides. The Ponorogo district head has approved proposals from the community to build the relocation area in their fields, but we will first examine the area to ascertain whether it is safe from a potential disaster," he said.
          He ensured that the emergency response period has come into effect from April 2 to April 15, 2017. During that time, the search process and the handling of refugees will still continue and will be extended by evaluating the results of the search operation and development of the situation on the field.
         Meanwhile, the Social Service Ministry has also prepared living cost for the victims.
        "The living cost will be given to each resident rather than each family. We will check the number of people in each family entitled to the BNPB (National Disaster Mitigation Agency) assistance. It is the number of people who will receive the living cost," Khofifah said.
       The living cost will be distributed among the landslide victims after a team of officers of the Ponorogo district administration verified the number of victims and the Ponorogo district head has issued a decision to that effect, she said.
            Based on Social Service Minister's Regulation No. 14/2015, the living cost will be distributed among victims whose houses were damaged in the landslide.
            The living cost will be given all at once and disbursed after the emergency response period has ended, she said. 
    Director General of Social Protection and Security of the Social Service Ministry Harry Hikmat said the landslide victims whose houses are seriously damaged will receive living cost of Rp10 thousand per day for 90 days. In total, the living cost will reach Rp900 thousand. ***4***
(H-YH)
  
(T.F001/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 06-04-2017