Indonesia: Quake devastation exposes poor building standards

Padang - The damage caused to Indonesia's West Sumatra province by the earthquake last month has exposed what experts say are poor construction standards in the seismically vulnerable region.

In the provincial capital of Padang, schools, shops, hotels and government offices collapsed in the 30 September quake, burying hundreds of people; many of the bodies have yet to be recovered. The official death toll was 704 as of 7 October, with at least 295 listed as missing.

About 200,000 homes and 2,000 other buildings were damaged, with about half destroyed, according to local government data.

“There are problems with construction quality,” said Firman Dalil, head of West Sumatra's Building and Environmental Management Department.

“There are rules that buildings must be built by certified entities, but enforcement has been less than strict,” Dalil told reporters on 7 October.

He said the provincial government planned to set up a construction council tasked with ensuring that construction plans meet government standards.

“Nationally, there's a regulation on quake-proof construction, but in West Sumatra the bar will be set higher,” he said.

West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi said the province would issue a bylaw on building standards. “Many buildings in Padang, Padang Pariaman and in coastal areas are below standard,” he told IRIN. “Many homes do not have steel support, and these buildings collapsed in the quake.”

Padang vulnerable

Geologists say Padang could suffer a major earthquake that could trigger a tsunami capable of wiping out the entire city.

Padang and nearby Padang Pariaman district were hardest-hit in the 7.6 magnitude quake last month, which struck off the coast of West Sumatra. Since then, 582 aftershocks have been detected, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Nursiah, 52, said her home in the Nanggalo area near Padang collapsed in a previous 6.3 magnitude quake in March 2007, and again in the 30 September quake. “Is there a way to make my house stand in the event of an earthquake?” she asked.

Nursiah received 15 million rupiah (US$1,500) in compensation from the national government after the 2007 quake, which was not enough to build a sturdy concrete house to withstand a strong tremor.

Emergency Architects, a France-based aid group, said it was assessing the security of buildings in the province with local experts, and was planning to build quake-proof permanent houses for survivors.

“With any future reconstruction, it's important that the fact we're in a seismic area has to be taken into consideration in the design, engineering and construction of buildings,” David Rapaport of Emergency Architects Australia told IRIN.

“The potential for earthquakes will increase rather than decrease in the future,” he said.

Emmanuel Moy, head of the Emergency Architects team working in West Sumatra, said his group sought to apply European standards in its projects, which include helping to rebuild schools and permanent housing for survivors.

“The fact is that there are many structures that collapsed, so obviously there are things that need to be improved in that aspect,” he said.

Temporary shelters

OCHA said in its 6 October report that more than 100,000 houses in Padang were reported to be severely damaged, while 70 to 100 percent of residential houses were beyond repair in outlying villages in Padang Pariaman.

Villagers have set up temporary shelters in front of their houses and have begun to reclaim and recycle building materials, including roofing sheets, wood and bricks, the report said, adding that it was estimated that between 40 and 70 percent could be reused.

Governor Fauzi said about half the survivors had been sheltered.

“We need at least 100,000 tents. So far we have been able to provide about 50 percent of what is needed,” he said.

However not all survivors needed tents, he said. “Many are staying with their relatives, whose homes are not damaged,” he said. “People can also use mosques, schools when they're not being used, and meeting halls. So there's no reason for people not to be [looked after].”

Meanwhile, aid workers have been ramping up the distribution of humanitarian assistance. Helicopters and four-wheel drive trucks delivered supplies to remote areas where survivors have complained that aid had been slow to come.

Five ships carrying food, tents and water treatment equipment docked on 7 October at Padang's harbour, said Ade Edward, head of the provincial disaster coordinating agency.

West Sumatra has declared that reconstruction and rehabilitation will begin from 1 November 2009.

atp/ey/mw