Located approximately 150 Km off the western coast of Sumatera, the Mentawai islands were once a part of Sumatra mainland, one of the five main islands of Indonesia. The separation left endemic species of flora and fauna which are now only found on the Mentawai. The beaches and powerful waves of the Mentawai also have made the islands a favourite amongst elite surfers from around the globe. The Mentawai are also known for their indigenous inhabitants who are portrayed as living closely with nature and in a traditional way; however, these numbers are dwindling.
Millions of years have passed since the separation from the mainland, but the Mentawai remain an isolated archipelago far away from the bustling development of the regional capital of Padang. But the image of ‘paradise’ is not all it seems. Strong winds and unpredictable currents also contribute to the inaccessibility of the Mentawai alongside limited transportation to and within the islands. Limited goods and materials are available in the Mentawai and most are imported from Padang including the staple food of rice. The cost of fuel is around four times that on the mainland driving up the costs of household goods and food for local people. Poor communications and isolation also mean livelihood opportunities are limited and poverty rates high. Access to education and healthcare is also low.
When the 2010 tsunami hit the Mentawai coastline, the distribution of aid and relief to affected areas was highly challenging. More than 400 people lost their lives, around 90 people remained missing and more than 14.000 people had to evacuate their homes. The tsunami showed clearly that people living in the Mentawai need to be prepared and ready to face long periods before any outside assistance may arrive.
ASB, with support from the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, started the working to strengthen community resilience to disasters in the Mentawai in 2011. The National Disaster Management Agency places the Mentawai as one of the most disaster-prone areas in Indonesia. Moreover, the geography of the Mentawai requires a high level of preparedness due to its remoteness. Starting with a school-based DRR project, which covered all elementary schools in the islands, ASB has raised and developed basic awareness and knowledge of disasters and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Materials for DRR education were also distributed to 124 schools across the islands. This was the first school-based disaster risk reduction program in the Mentawai. ASB also initiated implementation of the national community-based DRR programme, the ‘Resilient Village’ programme, in Katurei Village on 2013. This work also included the participation of highly at-risk groups, including people with disability, who are often ignored in such programmes. This was the first resilient village project established in the Mentawai.
Resilient Community
The pilot project for Katurei Resilient Village was a success that ASB expanded to four other villages in 2014 within ongoing support from the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Close coordination with all DRR stakeholders in the area played a key role in project implementation. ASB worked together with the Mentawai Disaster Management Agency at the district level, village authorities, other related government institutions and community representatives. These multi-actor stakeholders actively participated in the production of DRR documents consisting of disaster management plans, community action plans and multi-hazard contingency plans. To test and strengthen the documents prior to contingency planning field simulations in each village were conducted along with table top exercises.. The plans were then integrated into village regulations and aligned with district and national guidelines.
Capacity building within communities was an important part of the project. Community awareness on DRR, and a willingness to prepare themselves better for disaster, was shown in enthusiasm during capacity building activities. 790 community members were trained in basic DRR, logistics, communication and first aid. Following the trainings community-based DRR teams were formed at sub village levels. These teams are not only agents of information for other community members, but also are responsible to coordinate in the case of emergency. All teams in 16 sub villages conducted earthquake-tsunami simulations to test the scenario they established in their contingency plan document. A total of 6.223 community members, including children, older persons and persons with disability, were involved. They are now well aware of what to do if an earthquake or tsunami hits.
While working to support non-physical components of DRR, ASB also supported DRR infrastructure development in all targeted villages. This included building coordination posts and evacuation routes with consideration of accessibility. Accessible DRR infrastructure simplifies the evacuation process for all community members, including persons with disability. Realizing the limitation in communication due to Mentawai remote areas, ASB also developed communication mechanisms within and between the villages and with government in the capital of the Mentawai. This included the installation of radio rigs and hand held radios for DRR teams alongside training in use and maintenance. Local government has also committed to providing any repairs that may be needed in the future. The radios are now used on a daily basis including communicating with mid wives, family members working outside the villages and were put to the test coordinating village, and government, search and rescue efforts when a boat with community members went missing. The boat was found and all made it home after days at sea.
All the villages have made great progress in the process of becoming more resilient communities. A good example of this is Mrs. Luciana Sabojiat, or more familiar as Ibu Cici, a member of a DRRDRR team. She is now a master trainer who delivers DRR materials and trainings to households in her village. From her experiences as a DRR trainer, Ibu Cici got the opportunity to present and share her thoughts at a national workshop in 2014. Now that the project is approaching its end, people of the Mentawai are showing how preparedness can overcome any anxieties about disasters. All credit and thanks goes to the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Disaster Management Agencies of the Mentawai and West Sumatra and the communities of the Mentawai. More works are waiting ahead, but the Mentawai is ready to take another big leap in disaster risk reduction.(Rizma Kristiana/edit: Dr. Alex Robinson)
