Indonesia struggles to recover economy, maintain order in tsunami-hit Palu

Palu (Indonesia), Oct 3 (IANS) The tsunami-swept Palu city on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island still lingers with helplessness due to stalled economy following multiple cuts down on electricity and fuel supplies that paralyzed activities to run the city.

Such a situation was worsened by rampant looting of merchandises in stores conducted by people in the city, making all stores, gas stations and other economic elements stop their operation.

The looting of stores and mini markets in Palu and the other city affected by the earthquake, Donggala, entered a concerning level as people also targeted stores selling secondary goods other than stores selling staple foods and daily necessities, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Indonesian government previously allowed tsunami survivors to take food and other basic supplies from grocery stores to temporarily support their lives after the tsunami while aids were being delivered to them.

The process to deliver aids for refugees and survivors of tsunami faced difficulties as the mainland accesses to Palu and Donggala were clogged by stones rolling down from hills due to aftershocks that made it riskier for aids team to get supplies to Palu.

The province’s only airport serving flights to Palu was not operating normally as part of its runway was cracked by the strong earthquake that made it only capable of serving propeller planes, instead of large cargo aids deliverer planes.

Responding to the developing situation, Indonesian President Joko Widodo issued an order to immediately restore the economy in Palu and fix the damaged infrastructure so as to secure distribution of logistics.

"I have ordered the police chief and military commander to deploy more personnel in guarding gas stations and business centres so as to make stores reopened, recover the economy in Palu," he said on Tuesday.

He said that accelerated works needed to be carried out by related institutions to fix the airport, access roads blocked by mud and stones from the earthquake.

The government was taking measures to restore security for shop and store owners. Authorities said they arrested 45 looters, but the stores were yet to be reopened for the public in central Palu.

The Indonesian retailers association said that losses sustained by mini market chain stores operating in Palu and Donggala had reached 450 billion rupiah (about $2.9 million) as of Monday.

The losses came up from the looted merchandises, store buildings, display set and warehouse operated by mini markets in the association, including Ramayana, Matahari, Hypermarket and Alfamidi.

The military was deploying battalions to the hardest-hit two cities to ensure the security of stores and mini markets, so that people can buy food and groceries.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has restored power supply in parts of Palu. Supply of gasoline was gradually improving as the government ordered state-run oil and gas firm Pertamina to mobilize its gasoline stocks stored in provinces around Sulawesi to the tsunami-affected Palu.