JAKARTA
(September 8, 2023) - To improve preparedness in
disaster management, Ministry of Social Affairs is preparing a social granary.
Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini has initiated the establishment of
social granaries in disaster-prone and difficult-to-access areas, including frontier, outermost, and least developed regions (3T).
The preparation of a social granary
is intended so that people living in disaster areas can still access
assistance. For this reason, Ministry of Social Affairs ensures the
availability of logistics in disaster-prone zones.
"When a disaster occurs, the
step we take is to ensure that all logistics warehouses, especially social
granaries are in the area and are fulfilled or sufficient (logistics
stock)," said Acting Director of Social Protection for Victims of Natural
Disasters of Ministry of Social Affairs Adrianus Alla at Salemba 28 Forum with
journalists in Jakarta, Thursday (7/9).
He cited his experience when he
directly handled the landslide disaster in Serasan Island, Natuna Regency, Riau
Islands, last March.
Due to the absence of social granaries
to store logistics stocks around the area, it takes longer to be able to send
aid due to difficult access to the affected locations.
"We don't have a social granary
on Serasan Island. When a landslide occurs, we must send assistance from two
nearby locations, namely from Riau Islands and West Kalimantan. This is very
difficult for us," he said.
Another case, he continued, was the
handling of the earthquake disaster that hit the Mentawai Islands Regency, West
Sumatra, a month later in April.
"Access to Mentawai Island is
also quite difficult from Padang City, but because of the social granaries,
when an earthquake occurs, people can survive in the area," said the
bespectacled man.
The readiness and availability of
logistics in social granaries around the area, said Adrianus, can help affected
victims survive. "At least, two to three days until assistance arrives,
especially if access to the location is difficult to reach," he explained.
In response to this difficulty, he
said that he would strive to establish at least two or three social granaries
in each region, especially the 3Ts.
"We have thousands of 3T
islands which, if not immediately facilitated with social granaries, we will
have great difficulty sending assistance when a disaster occurs because there
are no logistical supplies in the area. We strive for not just one, but at
least two or three social granaries," he said.
The social granary contains basic
community logistics needed during a disaster, such as ready-to-eat food,
children's food, blankets, mattresses, adult clothing, and children's clothing.
"This includes tents, both
multipurpose and family tents, generators, and other supporting
materials," he explained.
Even so, Ministry of Social Affairs
still pays attention to the local wisdom that applies in the region. "Like
in Papua, because people in Papua consume pigs, the social granaries there,
besides being filled with logistics, we also fill them with pigs. We adjust the
local wisdom of the region," he said.
In addition, the disaster risk index
is also considered in determining the location of the social granaries.
"The location of the social granary will be in the center of the region.
For example, in District A, we will place it in a village that is the central
point of district," he explained.
To date, there have been 532 social granaries
in 28 provinces across Indonesia. They are spread across 159 regencies/cities
and 590 districts.