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Dozens killed in famine-hit Papua Highlands
Jakarta has sent disaster aid of 20 tonnes of rice and thousands of packages of ready-to-eat meals, protein biscuits and basic food staples, along with other materials and operational funds.
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National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Suharyanto (fourth left) and Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy (fourth right) check food aid at Mozes Kilangin airport in Timika, Central Papua, on Aug. 2, 2023. The humanitarian aid will be distributed to residents of Puncak regency in Central Papua affected by famine caused by prolonged drought. (-/Courtesy of BNPB/Handout)
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months-long famine in Papua Highlands province’s Yahukimo regency has killed at least 23 residents, forcing the government to scramble to provide disaster relief and plan for long-term solutions to avoid similar disasters from happening in the area in the future.
The famine has affected around 12,000 people living in over 13 villages in the regency, said Amuma district head Zakeus Lagowan on Tuesday. He blamed heavy downpours that have been happening since August for causing local crops to rot.
Fatalities doubled in the past week, Zakeus went on to say, rising from 11 deaths last week to 23 as of Oct. 23.
“However, we haven’t got the complete data yet because communication [with the affected] villages is only limited through transceivers,” Zakeus said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.id.
The Yahukimo famine has caught the attention of Jakarta. Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy held a coordination meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation with several officials, including Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Suharyanto.
Authorities in Jakarta have sent disaster aid comprising 20 tonnes of rice and thousands of packages of ready-to-eat meals, protein biscuits and basic food staples to the affected region. They also sent 1,500 packages of hygiene kits, 50 sets of solar lights, five tents and Rp 1 billion (US$63,000) in operational funds.
Some of the aid, however, has yet to reach the famine-hit villages as they can only be accessed by air. The disaster agency has prepared a Cessna Grand Caravan cargo airplane with the capacity of 1.5 tonnes per flight.
