Three Years of Waiting for Permanent Occupancy

It has been three years, but thousands of families that survived the earthquake are still waiting for permanent housing. Their dream of rebuilding a life that was devastated by the earthquake still remains distant.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Workers complete the construction of the Petobo temporary shelter (Huntara) in Petobo Village, Palu City, Central Sulawesi, Friday (01/02/2019). In this area, 70 shelter units will be built with 840 rooms for 840 families, or to accommodate around 4,200 people. The shelter built by the government will be used to accommodate earthquake and liquefaction survivors in Petobo.

On the wooden terrace near the door to her room, Sunarti, 40, conversed with her mother, Lumina, 71. She is still haunted by bitter memories of the earthquake and soil liquefaction of 28 Sept. 2018 in Petobo village, South Palu district, Palu city.

“It was three years ago, [but] we are still living in temporary housing. We have been asked to wait for construction on the permanent houses to finish, but patience has a limit," Sunarti said on Tuesday (28/9/2021), when Kompas caught up with her at the temporary housing complex in Petobo village where she has lived since June 2019.