INTERVIEW-Aceh tsunami housing fraught with problems -official
Source: AlertNet
By Ahmad Pathoni
JAKARTA, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Efforts to provide housing for survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh province still face obstacles two years after the disaster, a senior reconstruction official said on Tuesday.
Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, was hardest hit among the areas in the Indian Ocean region affected by the tsunami that left about 170,000 people dead or missing in Aceh and displaced half a million.
At least 57,000 permanent houses of 128,000 required for tsunami survivors have been built but many have not been occupied, said Heru Prasetyo, director for donor relations at the Aceh reconstruction agency, or BRR.
Some survivors have chosen to remain in temporary barracks because they receive a daily stipend and other provisions while others refuse to move because their new settlements lack electricity and other infrastructure.
"The question is: Are the houses built located in places where the occupants can have livelihoods? If fishermen should live in the mountains, it's going to be difficult for them," Prasetyo said.
As many 45,000 people still live in temporary barracks, including 3,000 families who either rented homes or were squatters before the tsunami.
People have had difficulties returning to their land because of problems in establishing land titles. Only 17,400 land titles have been signed so far.
Prasetyo said the success of the reconstruction efforts would be measured not only by how many houses had been built but also by how much the livelihoods of survivors had improved.
A progress report released jointly by BRR and donor institutions showed 69 percent of working-age men and 36 percent of working-age women in Aceh's urban areas are employed. In rural areas 68 percent of the men and 45 percent of women are working.
"If we talk about urban areas, it's possible it's because of the bubble economy, a lot of reconstruction, a lot of money. But will this continue after the reconstruction period is over?" Prasetyo said.
He said he expected agriculture and fisheries would return to pre-tsunami levels in 2008, but that wasn't enough. "Aceh is the third poorest province before the tsunami. Going back to the same level is not good enough."
Since the tsunami, 1,200 km (700 miles) of roads have been built or repaired, 121 bridges repaired and 11 ferry terminals built or under construction, the report said.
It said 623 schools and 305 health facilities had been built or repaired and more than 33 km of coastal protection and 24 km of saltwater dykes had been built.
The tsunami served as an impetus for a 2005 peace pact between the government and separatists, which ended almost 30 years of fighting that killed 15,000 people.
Prasetyo said BRR was optimistic about next year.
"We are not out of the woods and it's still an uphill climb. But we expect things will be easier in 2007 with a clear plan on hand and the budget allocation will be better," he said.
