IGNORANCE OF SPATIAL CONDITIONS BLAMED FOR WASIOR FLOODS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 12 (ANTARA) - Ministers have brushed aside allegations that illegal logging has been the main cause of a flash flood in West Papua's Waisor town last week.          They have come up with a conclusion that earthquake-affected vulnerable land, heavy rains and ignorance of spatial conditions for human settlement have been the causes of the flash floods that led to the loss of 145 lives and 103 others missing.          According to Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta,  it is almost impossible that illegal logging has been the factor behind the  flood.  An earthquake has previously occurred that caused the land there to become unstable before it is showered by high intensity of rains that triggered the flash flood.          After all, based on the spatial conditions, the area is not suitable for human settlement.          "Inappropriate spatial conditions for human settlement contributed to the flash flood. Based on forestry sciences, the area is not suitable for human settlement. It is within a limited production forest area. We should be careful because if the forest cover is opened a little it could trigger landslides," Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said on Monday.          The forestry minister said that the area actually might not be made a human settlement because otherwise it would disturb the land spatial conditions and trigger landslides. After all the rain falls in that area are high.          Wasior is located in a river flow area within a permanent forest production zone, and the government would not allow a forest concession to exploit the forest or to fell trees in the area.          "The limited production forest area should not be transformed into a town because the area is steep. If  it is resided by villagers with a developing population, residential area could expand up-side and could disturb the spatial condition which is steep, and that could trigger a landslide. But the main cause of the flood last week was heavy rains," Minister Zulkifli said.          He said that the natural disaster was not caused by illegal logging and in the future the area should follow a good spatial planning and should be managed well based on the environmental principles.          "I think the area should be managed based on a good spatial planning. Moreover, it is a nature reserve area. The forest cover may not be eliminated by whatever reasons. The spatial planning must be made based on the environmental principles and the principles of  permanent forest production and nature preservation zones," he said.          In the meantime,  Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta concurred with Minister Zulkifli that the flood in Wasior was not caused by illegal longing.          Gusti Muhammad Hatta said it was almost impossible that illegal logging had been the factor behind the recent flood. "I think the initial cause of the flash flood was high intensity of rains," he said here on Monday.          He said based on satellite images of 2000 and 2009 it was seen that forest coverage in the area had dropped just one percent. "Besides that one must know that forests in Wasior are natural reserves so that they are protected tightly and monitored closely so that it is almost impossible that a forest concession holder is operating there," he said.          "There were  no corporate logging activities there. According to our investigation with the help of satellite photos, only one percent of the forest area in Wasior district was denuded in 2000 and 2009, probably  for household purposes," the minister said.          He admitted that it was not impossible that tree felling had occurred but it must have been not on a big scale but just by individuals and not by big companies. In addition, he said, the region had been hit by an earthquake before the flood occurred so the land there had become unstable.          "In fact, before the flood, an earthquake struck the area which made the land there more unstable ," the minister added.          Because of the earthquake the earth structure there had changed and some of it had covered the river making the water in the river to overflow. "So this has happened because of a natural phenomenon. If land clearing has really occurred it must not have been too significant," he said.          In an effort to handle the flood problems, the government is considering relocating the victims and carry out reconstruction and rehabilitation.          "The government will soon prepare a spatial plan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the town shortly after the emergency response period ends," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said.          The blue print would serve as reference for the reconstruction of the flash flood-devastated town to make it better than previously, he said. The government would soon issue a regulation concerning coordination among ministries involved in the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, he said.          "A total of 12 school buildings and one hospital were damaged in the flash flood. Only the natural disaster mitigation board, regent, district military command and police resort chief are involved in the emergency response efforts. After the emergency response period has ended they will transfer the jobs to the relevant ministries," he said.          Agung Laksono said that the government was also studying the possibility of relocating the flood victims. "The possibility (of relocating them) is still being studied," he said. The effort is to be taken with regard to providing a safer place for them after recent flash floods destroyed the area.          "The government will find the best and most secure place for them," he said. The relocation process would later be put in a local regulation to prevent it from violating spatial regulations.          "Today the government has already started finding the best places for the Wasior flood victims," he said. ***3*** (T.A014/ H-NG/f001 ) 12-10-2010 10:48: