59 Public Kitchens Spread In Areas Affected By West Sumatra Disasters Still Operating

Residents are waiting in line to get packaged rice in a public kitchen in Malalak District, Agam Regency, West Sumatra. BETWEEN/Muhammad Zulfikar

JAKARTA - The Provincial Government (Pemprov) of West Sumatra (West Sumatra) is still operating 59 public kitchens spread throughout the area affected by hydrometeorological disasters.

"In addition to directly operating two public kitchens in Padang City, we also continue to support the implementation of 57 public kitchens in affected districts and cities," said Head of the West Sumatra Social Service (Dinsos) Syaifullah in Padang, Friday, as quoted by Antara.

Syaifullah said the two public kitchens operated directly by the West Sumatra Social Service were located at the agency's office, as well as in Tanjung Village, Kuranji District, Padang City.

So far, he said, a total of 59 public kitchens have been operated by 605 members of the Disaster Preparedness Cadet (Tagana) in turn, and have distributed tens of thousands of packaged rice to disaster victims.

For public kitchens operated by the West Sumatra Social Service Office in Padang City, so far, more than 18 thousand packs of rice have been distributed. Meanwhile, 57 other public kitchens spread across the district and affected cities produce at least 600 packs of rice a day.

"We are also still coordinating to distribute logistics and necessities in each public kitchen," he said.

This includes public kitchens established by the National Amil Zakat Agency, Military Regional Command XX/Mrku Imam Bonjol, district and city Social Service Offices to public kitchens established independently by the community.

Furthermore, his party appreciates hundreds of West Sumatra Tagana who are involved in the implementation of public kitchens and serving refugees. In addition, Tagana came from other provinces such as Central Java and Kalimantan who helped.

Syaifullah said that every public kitchen basically prepares a package of packaged rice according to the number of needs of affected residents in each region, including for refugees who currently number 15,878 people throughout West Sumatra.

Regarding the menu given, he said, it consisted of rice, a source of protein and vegetables. Then the food is intended for residents who still survive in the evacuation and those who have returned to their respective homes.

"Of course, there is quite a lot of logistical needs for the implementation of this public kitchen because many residents are affected, so we also get support from the Ministry of Social Affairs and other relevant agencies and institutions," he said.