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Cianjur rebuilds after devastating quake, but experts urge caution
With post-earthquake reconstruction in full swing, experts called on authorities to make Cianjur an example of how to nurture disaster-resistant communities.
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This handout picture taken and released on Nov. 24 by the Presidential Secretariat shows President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (center) visiting people who live in a shelter in Cianjur, West Java, following a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 300 people. (AFP/Handout)
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ore than two weeks after a shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Cianjur regency, West Java, authorities have begun to rebuild on top of the rubble of the disaster that killed over 300 people and displaced 110,000.
With reconstruction in full swing, experts are calling on authorities to make Cianjur an example of how to nurture disaster-resistant communities and to take precautions to guarantee the livelihoods of those displaced after the fact.
The government previously announced plans to relocate families whose homes were built on dangerous tectonic fault lines, while others whose homes were damaged would get cash as recompense.
But Yonvitner, head of the Bogor Agricultural University’s (IPB) center for disaster studies, said post-disaster reconstruction should not simply be about the task of rebuilding homes, but also an opportunity to integrate disaster-risk planning into existing reconstruction plans.
Read also: Cianjur quake points to disaster mitigation flaws“Whenever a disaster-prone area develops into a residential district, the basic principle of disaster resilience must always be implemented,” Yonvitner told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. “[Reconstruction] should also be an opportunity to introduce better spatial planning.”
Aside from making sure houses are built on safer grounds, Yonvitner called on the government to avoid pinching costs by building houses too close to each other.
“A lot of houses that were constructed [post-disaster] are built too close to each other, without an open space […], which instead poses significant risks in the event of another disaster,” he said.
