WONDAMA BAY (January 25th, 2024) - The long time in delivering logistical aid often becomes an obstacle in handling natural disasters in Indonesia. This often happens, especially in areas where land routes are not available to get to the disaster location. One of them is Wondama Bay Regency in West Papua Province, which often experiences floods almost every year.

To shorten the distribution time for disaster logistics aid, the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) built a social granary in Wasior District, the capital of Wondama Bay in 2022, and placed it at the GKI Class Office, Wondama Bay Regency. This place was chosen to anticipate if a disaster occurs, so survivors do not have to wait too long for aid to be sent from Manokwari City to the disaster location.

This social granary contains basic necessities such as tents, blankets, clothes, rice, ready-to-eat food, oil and a number of other basic necessities.

Head of Wondama Bay Social Service, Musa Sapari said that the community in Wondama Bay needs a social granary, considering that the area is often hit by floods. When a disaster occurs, such as a flood, logistics will be quickly distributed to survivors.

"If the social granary already exists in Wasior District, it means that transportation to the disaster location will be faster," said him.

Previously, when disaster occurred, logistics had to be sent from Manokwari using a fast boat around six hours. This trip took too long as logistics were late to arrive at the disaster location. “Airport here operates for small planes only. It cannot carry out goods," added him. Goods must be carried out by ship.

The social granary will continue to be filled with goods to replace items that have been used up. The goods that were put into the social granary in Wasior on Wednesday (24/1) included 1 ton of rice, 50 boxes of instant noodles, 25 boxes of processed canned fish, 300 pieces of clothing, 20 boxes of oil, 20 boxes of milk, 180 sheets of blankets, 30 boxes of soy sauce and sauce, as well as other logistical ingredients.

Besides Wondama Bay Regency, the other Social Granaries logistics spread out in several locations in Papua are also being replenished. The Acting Director of Social Protection for Natural Disaster Victims (PSKBA), Muhammad Delmi, in a written statement, said that as much as 32 social granaries have been built in various locations in Papua since 2022 and logistics are continuing to be replenished regularly.

These social granaries were built in several disaster-prone areas and were difficult to access, such as Biak Regency/City, Sarmi, Bintang Mountains, Tolikara, Puncak Regency, Yahukimo, and many more difficult-to reach-places. "We want this social granary to have complete contents, so that when a disaster occurs, survivors will not find it difficult to get the items they need," said Delmi.

Public Relations Bureau
Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs