Asnawi Bahar, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA), stressed the urgency of reconstructing houses and public facilities in NTB, as the efforts would define the potential of NTB in the eyes of tourists.

“Economic recovery would be defined by the acceleration of house and infrastructure reconstruction,” he said recently.

According to data from ASITA, the earthquakes in August had affected the business of at least 200 of its members based in NTB.

Asnawi said the aftermath of the earthquakes could have a multiplier effect. If tourism took a long time to recover, people whose lives depended on the industry, including those in the handicraft and souvenir sectors, could lose their livelihoods.

“At present, many people are temporarily out of work because many tourism-related industries have not yet resumed operations. A few hotels have reopened, but it is not yet optimal,” he said.

Febrio N. Kacaribu, head of macro studies at the University of Indonesia’s Institute for Economic and Social Research, voiced a similar opinion, as he said the reconstruction of infrastructure in tourism-related sectors was important in addition to housing and public facilities.

“Because Lombok is known for tourism, the reconstruction of tourism-related infrastructure is important as it can help the local economy recover,” he said on Thursday.

The government, through the Public Works and Housing Ministry, has targeted to complete the reconstruction of damaged houses in NTB within six months, as instructed by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Based on Presidential Instruction No. 5/2018, the reconstruction program will be implemented through community-based reconstruction of public housing, also known as REKOMPAK.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said recently that under REKOMPAK, reconstruction of the houses would not be done by contractors, but by locals who would work hand in hand together.

The reconstruction program will be supervised by the ministry and with the input of 400 engineers to ensure that the houses would be resilient enough to withstand earthquakes, Basuki said.

“People will not just be spectators, they will be involved, so that the reconstruction can be completed faster than if it is done by contractors,” Basuki said during a meeting at the House of Representatives recently.

The latest data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency shows that 167,961 houses in NTB were reportedly damaged. However, only 32,968 houses have been verified as damaged, of which 25,588 were eligible to receive financial aid for reconstruction.

Meanwhile, 78 of 1,266 reportedly damaged public facilities have been reconstructed, the data shows.

The Public Works and Housing Ministry has recommended using the Healthy Modest Instantaneous House (Risha) modular concept, which has been used in several places struck by disasters, such as Aceh and Sinabung, North Sumatra.

Minister Basuki said the Risha concept would enable houses to be built within two weeks and cost between Rp 16 million (US$1,083) and Rp 20 million.

To ensure the cheap and easy supply of building materials, the ministry is working with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry by opening eight temporary outlets for building materials in five districts in Lombok, namely Pemenang, Tanjung, Kayangan, Bayan and Gangga.

“The construction materials will come from East Java, not Jakarta, because they will reach NTB faster,” he said.

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