Lombok Quake: West Lombok Refugees Need Clean Water and Tents

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thousands of refugees of the Lombok quake who are currently sheltering at refugee tents in Batulayar subdistrict in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, are in need of tarpaulins and clean water. 

Head of the Batulayar subdistrict civilian security guard (Trantib) Herman Rogo said the refugees are in immediate need of the two items to combat the cold night weather. “There are plenty of foods and logistics. But they lack tarpaulins to erect tents and clean water for daily needs,” he said on Sunday, August 12. 

One of the refugees, Ahmad, corroborated Herman’s request. ” Yes we need more tarpaulins, since one tent is filled with dozens of people. We can build more tents if we receive more of them to spread out the number of refugees,” said Ahmad. 

Read: Lombok Quake Death Toll Hits 436

According to Herman, from the nine villages in Batu Layar, the ones most affected by the August 5 earthquake are Senggigi, Senteluk, Batu Layar Induk, and West Batu Layar. 

“On average, there are 60 percent of severely damaged building structures. Senggigi itself saw 75 percent damaged homes that might look normal from the outside but damaged in their interiors,” said Herman. 

To date, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded 436 deaths caused by the Lombok quake and its aftershocks while material losses were estimated to reach Rp5.04 trillion. 

ANTARA