Lisa Siregar, Greg Dunlop & Fidelis E. Satriastanti

Residents of Situ Gintung are rebuilding what they can of their damaged homes, but most are waiting on compensation. (Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya, JG)

No More Handouts For Dam Survivors

Survivors of the Situ Gintung reservoir disaster will receive no further assistance from the local government after today, except in the provision of temporary housing, South Tangerang Mayor Muhammad Shaleh said on Sunday.

The Situ Gintung dam in Banten collapsed on March 27, destroying hundreds of houses and killing 101 people.

Since April, at least 70 families have been relocated to the Kertamukti complex, about a kilometer from where the dam broke.

Food, bottled water, blankets and other necessities donated by individuals, charities and nongovernmental organizations have since been distributed through a local government center, but that facility is slated to close Monday. In the future, donors and recipients would have to make alternate arrangements.

“We are stopping this logistical support because we are trying to teach these people to be independent and not be lazy,” Shaleh said.

He said the families would be allowed to stay at the complex until December, when a project to construct low-cost apartments to replace their damaged homes is scheduled to be completed.

Shaleh said his office had been plagued by media organizations asking if survivors would be evicted. “No, I have never said anything like that. We’re just stopping the logistic distribution,” he said.

Meanwhile, the secretary of Communication Forum for the Victims of the Situ Gintung Tragedy, Yudha Pratama, said the local government had not officially informed his organization about the move.

“We have not heard anything from the government about evictions, although we’ve seen speculation on the news,” he said. “But we have also heard the mayor is planning to extend our stay here.

“We hope the government can straighten things out so as not to make the people here too anxious,” Yudha said.

Survivors, many of whom are now living in temporary shelters or rental accommodation, have complained the government has not delivered on a promise to help rebuild their homes. But Shaleh blamed the National Disaster Management Agency for holding back the funds, saying “the money is coming from the state budget.”

He said families whose homes were badly damaged would be given Rp 30 million ($3,000) in aid, those with less serious damage would receive Rp 15 million and renters would get Rp 5 million.

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