APD | Indonesia applies cautious move to apply relief measures in quake-hit Lombok

By APD writer Aditya Nugraha

JAKARTA, Aug 25 (APD) – Indonesia applied cautious moves on tourism concern to apply relief measures in earthquake-hit Lombok Island following series of strong aftershocks in the increasingly popular destination island.

To address the move, Indonesia President Joko Widodo has signed an official instruction document related to the relief efforts in Lombok.

Signing of the document came amid pressures from opposition party for the government to declare Lombok earthquake as national disaster that requires central government’s direct command to handle the aid, coupled with international assistance which consequently has to close down the island from tourism activities.

The most important thing is that the relief activities were carried out in national scale, involving regional government regencies, municipalities affected by the earthquake,” the president said on Thursday to announce the signing of the document.

Through the document all related institutions in regional government have the legal base in doing so,” he added.

Cabinet Secretary Minister Pramono Anung said that government would not declare Lombok earthquake as national disaster as it would severely tarnish tourism industry, the backbone of the island’s economy.

As soon as it is declared as national disaster, all areas in Lombok Island would be closed down for the tourists. It would cost more to the island’s economy,” Pramono said.

Through the presidential instruction document, central government would assign Public World and Housing Ministry and National Disaster Mitigation Ageny (BNPB) to closely cooperate with regional government in carrying out the relief activities in Lombok.

Indonesian central government has allocated some 4 trillion rupiah (about US$ 274 million) to finance the relief activities, reports said.

Despite all of those situations in the destination island, flights from and to the island were significantly affected as traffic of passengers remains unchanged if compared to the times before the earthquake took place.

Lombok International Airport (LIA) General Manager I Gusti Ngurah Ardhita said recently that foreign tourists kept coming to Lombok through the airport.

Most of them were foreign tourists who want to conclude their vacation on Lombok after their previous stay in Bali,” he said recently, referring to the neighboring resort island of Bali.

The passengers traffic record was recorded at 10,000 per day at present, the normal rate since before the earthquake, he added.

An official at Indonesia tourism ministry Ricky Fauzy said many tourism spots in Lombok were not affected by the earthquake. Among them was Mandalika tourism zone, the government’s prioritized tourism development zone in Lombok.

Most of facilities in Mandalika were not affected by the earthquake. So it is safe to be visited,” he added.

Conveying his optimism on quicker recovery in Lombok tourism industry, Indonesia Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that hotels in affected areas in West Lombok, province’s capital of Mataram and in Senggigi beach have started to receive tourists.

Hotels remained opened for tourists while they do renovation work in certain part of their premises affected by the earthquake,” he added.

West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) provincial disaster mitigation office said death tolls from the powerful earthquake on August 5 and a series of strong aftershocks in Lombok have reached 555, displacing over 430,000, damaging over 73,800 houses and 798 public facilities.

Losses generated by the earthquake was estimated to reach 7.7 trillion rupiah (about US$ 528 million).

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)