Blang Mounlong is a village in Aceh Jaya District that was swept by tsunami waves and sunk due to the lowering of the land. This condition forced the village dwellers to move out and find a livable new place. Last August, when I visited the community, I saw flowers and gardens in almost every house our team had built. People with big smiles greet me by asking me to visit their house. Hedgerows and plants are along the path that they made. In short, Blang Mounlong is one of the success stories in resettlement.There are two ways of doing reconstruction work. First, the on-site reconstruction means building a newly reconstructed house on the previous land. Even if the house is smaller or bigger than the previous one, the new house was built on land where the previous house was heavily damaged by disaster. The new building may not be exactly in the same spot as the previous one, but it must be at the same location, land, or address. Second, the resettlement, a house reconstruction, may be built some distance from the previous location. And sometimes, this can be quite far. Resettlement is needed since the previous land is not inhabitable anymore.
Resettlement challenges
Beyond all questions, resettlement is much more difficult than on-site reconstruction. A land title is one big issue. Before the house has been built, the beneficiary should provide evidence of the land proprietary. It means he/she has to own the land. If they cannot afford the price of the land, the resettlement idea is only escapism. If they have the money to buy the land and government support, it does not mean all problems are gone. The autochthonous dweller is not automatically accepting Johnny's lately to be their neighbor. It happens to villagers of Desa Fajar in the Sampoiniet sub-district in Aceh Jaya District. When they intended to move to Blang Dalam village, which is still in the same sub-district, the Blang Dalam community shut the door against them.
Livelihood is another issue that makes resettlement more complicated. Their houses should not be far from their livelihood. A lot of fishermen became victims of the tsunami. Their houses around the beach were swept off, and the entire infrastructure was also devastated. But the survivors still work as fishermen. That is the thing that they have known since their childhood. To move them to a safer place on the higher ground means to move them quite far from the beach. In June 2005, the government issued a regulation of buffer zone, which is in an area within 2 km from the seashore and is restricted to be rebuilt. This was really tough for the tsunami victims and for the government. For the government, relocating people affected by the tsunami along more than 3,000 km of coastal line is almost impossible. Many people have to be moved to a place that is already inhabited.
Resettlement is always expensive. New land must be purchased. If the land is contoured it has to be developed, some cuts, and fills should be made to make paths and flat areas to build the houses. It needs extra work and sometimes extra equipment, which brings more cost to be paid. And the expensive aspect will be damaging to the environment. Sometimes, resettlement means deforestation. The agent for deforestation is people who physically convert forest to non-forest uses such as small farmers, plantation, infrastructure also large-scale operation such as resettlement schemes.1
Resettlement success tips
Community initiative is the key to success. Blang Mounlong community was solid under the strong leadership of their village head. They managed to do so by collecting money and purchasing land around 2 km from their previous village. Coordinated by the village head, they divided the land. Every one of them got as many as they agreed and paid. We guided them in village design, the layout, and road formation since the area is newly opened. For the landmarking, we asked every landowner to plant coconut buds in every corner of the land. Coconut buds are quite easy to find.
Community participation is always a catalyst for success. Aceh Jaya District was the area most destroyed by the tsunami. The infrastructure washed out; this condition made this area so remote. There was neither electricity nor a cellular network then, which made our work even harder. But the community gave their hand to help us. They became the guard of the construction material. They gave us access so that we could deliver the construction material to be sent to every house. They treated our workers nicely, making this new village a pleasant workplace.
The community provides local materials to ensure the availability of supplies. We always expected that our logistics and construction materials would come late. In our operations on the West Coast of Aceh, we found almost all of the bridges have disappeared, and the temporary bridges are often broken due to heavy loads. Click here. Ground transportation was miserable. In November 2005, it took more than 24 hours to travel 43 km click here. We had problems with the big waves from the sea, and at that time, it was difficult to find a proper barge to carry the construction material. In January 2006, a rented barge sank when they brought the material from Medan to our West Coast operation center. So, to ensure that we have the availability of material, we asked them what kind of material they can supply. At a reasonable price and within the budget, of course. They agreed to supply rubble stone, sand, and lumber. We appreciate their cooperation since it is a win-win business solution.
My appreciation goes to my colleague, Sugio. Blang Mounlong was one of Sugio’s beloved villages. He started his work in Blang Mounlong in April 2005 when we recruited him as
construction manager. In April 2006, we appointed Sugio to head the West Coast Disaster Response Technical Center. He had done an extremely good job delivering the 739 houses in our operations in the Aceh Jaya district. However, Aceh Jaya district was the most difficult place for the reconstruction work, as mentioned by Kuntoro, head of BRR, click here. He can perform well in very minimal conditions and with minimal support. His achievement made the local government and many NGOs who work in Aceh Jaya reconstruction pay him with respect. Blang Mounlong is just one of his undeniable successes.
Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction
Community initiative is the key to success. Blang Mounlong community was solid under the strong leadership of their village head. They managed to do so by collecting money and purchasing land around 2 km from their previous village. Coordinated by the village head, they divided the land. Every one of them got as many as they agreed and paid. We guided them in village design, the layout, and road formation since the area is newly opened. For the landmarking, we asked every landowner to plant coconut buds in every corner of the land. Coconut buds are quite easy to find.
Community participation is always a catalyst for success. Aceh Jaya District was the area most destroyed by the tsunami. The infrastructure washed out; this condition made this area so remote. There was neither electricity nor a cellular network then, which made our work even harder. But the community gave their hand to help us. They became the guard of the construction material. They gave us access so that we could deliver the construction material to be sent to every house. They treated our workers nicely, making this new village a pleasant workplace.
The community provides local materials to ensure the availability of supplies. We always expected that our logistics and construction materials would come late. In our operations on the West Coast of Aceh, we found almost all of the bridges have disappeared, and the temporary bridges are often broken due to heavy loads. Click here. Ground transportation was miserable. In November 2005, it took more than 24 hours to travel 43 km click here. We had problems with the big waves from the sea, and at that time, it was difficult to find a proper barge to carry the construction material. In January 2006, a rented barge sank when they brought the material from Medan to our West Coast operation center. So, to ensure that we have the availability of material, we asked them what kind of material they can supply. At a reasonable price and within the budget, of course. They agreed to supply rubble stone, sand, and lumber. We appreciate their cooperation since it is a win-win business solution.
My appreciation goes to my colleague, Sugio. Blang Mounlong was one of Sugio’s beloved villages. He started his work in Blang Mounlong in April 2005 when we recruited him as
construction manager. In April 2006, we appointed Sugio to head the West Coast Disaster Response Technical Center. He had done an extremely good job delivering the 739 houses in our operations in the Aceh Jaya district. However, Aceh Jaya district was the most difficult place for the reconstruction work, as mentioned by Kuntoro, head of BRR, click here. He can perform well in very minimal conditions and with minimal support. His achievement made the local government and many NGOs who work in Aceh Jaya reconstruction pay him with respect. Blang Mounlong is just one of his undeniable successes.Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction
1) Lutz, Ernest. Agriculture and the Environment: Perspectives on Sustainable Rural Development. The World Bank. 1998
