In a panel discussion held on Saturday (November 10th) at Building C, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (UI), Depok, the Geography volunteer team from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, part of the UI Peduli (UI Cares) team, presented post-disaster data in Central Sulawesi.
The Geography volunteer team from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UI, was directly involved in the emergency response phase of the disaster. They were divided into three batches, each departing at different times.
Batch I, which departed from October 4-10, 2018, was tasked with mapping buildings, accessibility, and evacuation points. This was followed by Batch II, which departed from October 10-17, 2018, and Batch III, which departed from October 22-26. Batches II and III had the same tasks: mapping buildings, public facilities, and social mapping.
Anggoro Tri Muldigono from Batch I explained that to provide basic spatial data on the affected areas, the Geography Department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, collaborated with various parties, including the Humanitarian Openstreetmap Team (HOT) through a Mapping Marathon (mapathon), which successfully mapped 5,122 of the total 26,663 existing buildings in three days. They also collaborated with ESRI Indonesia through a data portal workshop and an operational dashboard workshop as a means of publishing their data.
In carrying out their duties, Anggoro and his team admitted to facing several obstacles, including disruptions to communication and electricity networks, which are currently being repaired by PLN (State Electricity Company), the condition of the main road in Labean District, Donggala Regency, and the condition of the road in Lende Tovea Village, Labuana Hamlet, Balaesang District, and Sirenja District.
“The evacuation points there are unevenly distributed. Some have experienced logistical challenges because access roads to the evacuation points were damaged by landslides, making it difficult to reach their destinations,” Anggoro said.
From the first and second groups, data was obtained regarding the number of damaged buildings, with Donggala Regency being the most severely affected area.
Rijali Isnain Haripa, in his presentation on the process of producing maps of the impact of the Palu and Donggala earthquake and tsunami, explained that spatial mapping revealed that a total of 3,396 buildings suffered severe damage, 1,993 moderate damage, and 596 minor damage.
He explained that the classification of building damage is based on the extent of the disaster’s impact on the building. Damage is categorized as completely flattened.
Meanwhile, moderate damage means the building has only suffered cracks or partial destruction. Light damage means the building has no significant damage, except for minor cracks in the walls and fences.
Based on the validated data, Rijali continued, the mapping team on campus produced maps of areas suitable for temporary housing (Huntara) and maps of areas affected by multiple disasters.
He believes these maps can assist rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in disaster areas and aid disaster risk-based spatial planning.
“Disaster risk reduction efforts are not merely an expense but must be considered an investment in development,” Rijali emphasized.
In addition to assessing building damage, the UI Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences geography volunteer team also conducted other field activities such as coordinating aid distribution to disaster victims, providing and installing solar panels, assisting medical teams, and constructing tents at the UI Peduli (UI Cares) post.
