Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Parigi Moutong | Archipelago | Wed, August 29 2012, 7:56 AM
Despite government assistance there are still victims of the mudslide in Parigi Moutong regency, Central Sulawesi, who have not received aid.
Mirna, of Gangga village, South Parigi district, is one such example. She said her family had still yet to receive any help whatsoever.
Residents are staying in shelters around the village and are facing lack of food and basic necessities. “All our belongings in the house, including food supplies, have been buried by the mudslide,” she said.
Around 25 houses were severely damaged after being hit by a deluge of water, mud and debris from the mountain.
Another villager, Marthen, said he and other residents had not received aid three days after the disaster. “We really need food, clothing and kitchen utensils,” he said.
The mudslide, which took place in six villages in South Parigi district on the eve of Aug. 25, was the second such disaster after a similar incident in 2007. The current disaster is worse however, with two villagers being swept away and killed and hundreds of homes buried in the mudslide.
A 50-meter bridge connecting Boyantongo and Dolago villages also collapsed as it broke into two and paralyzed traffic on the Trans-Sulawesi highway.
Lemusa village chief Suardi Daeng Pasolang said one of the causes of the mudslide was illegal logging because most of the homes were hit by sawn timber. “We often hear the sound of chainsaws in the jungle, but we just keep quiet, especially residents also are involved in the illegal logging,” he said.
He expected residents would be aware of their misdeeds of being involved in illegal logging. “This is the consequence. We were the ones who committed it and we are also the ones who are affected. If only people heeded the warning from the village administration and government, such a disaster might not have happened,” said Suardi.
Data gathered in the field showed the mudslide hit six neighboring villages in the district — Lemusa, Boyantongo, Dolago, Gangga, Nambaru and Tindaki.
Two Gangga villagers were reported killed as they were swept away by the mudslide. They are identified as Kristina, 80, and her granddaughter Gita, 3. Search and rescue workers have found their bodies.
The local administration and residents have set up a number of disaster command posts to accommodate displaced residents. The posts are located in various locations, such as Lemusa church and along the Trans-Sulawesi highway in Boyantongo village.
Pearigi Moutong Regent Samsurizal Tombolotutu visited the disaster locations to provide food and blankets and also ordered a number of relevant agencies in the regency to immediately take anticipatory measures.
He also instructed the local Public Works Office to immediately deploy heavy machinery to clean debris, in the form of logs and mud, and open access to a number of regencies to the provincial capital of Palu.