Residents In The Gaplok Market Fire Victims Evacuation Tent Difficulty With Clean Water

Fire victims around Gaplok Market who took refuge in refugee camps/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA - Hundreds of fire victims at Gaplok Market, Senen District, Central Jakarta lost their homes after their houses burned down, Wednesday, December 15, yesterday. In addition to losing their homes, residents also get other suffering.

One of them is the difficulty of getting access to clean water for bathing and defecating. The temporary housing facilities prepared by the Central Jakarta Social Sub-dept. in the refugee camp at RW 008, Kramat, are still inadequate.

The head of RW 008 Kramat Urban Village, Lisawati, said that residents living in refugee camps are currently complaining of difficulties in getting access to clean water.

"For now, the complaint I have received is that it is difficult to get water for bathing and defecating. Thank God the water is safe for drinking," said Lisawati, Thursday, December 16.

According to Lisawati, the water faucet in the evacuation site is currently in unusable condition because it is damaged.

"Actually, there is a water tap here, but now it can't be used anymore. There are also some local residents who help provide it, but it's limited," he said.

"Yesterday from the government there were several water tankers here. But because access is difficult, it is a bit complicated to accommodate them," he said.

Even though it is difficult to get water, he continued, the displaced residents have received a lot of assistance such as food, clothing, medicine and baby equipment.

"Alhamdulillah, until now we are still being visited by donors to provide assistance. Then, there were also Puskesmas officers who came to check the health of residents, especially toddlers who were in refugee camps," he said.

Previously, a number of houses in the Gaplok Market area, Kramat Pulo, Central Jakarta were destroyed by fire. Fire spreads quickly because material objects are flammable.

The burning houses were dominated by wood so the fire spread. The area is also a densely populated area and semi-permanent building.