Anticipating Rare Food When Disasters Arrive, Wondama Bay Builds Food Barns

Forest sightings in West Papua Province. (Antara-Hans Arnold Kapisa)

WEST PAPUA - The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) has prepared a social granary in Teluk Wondama Regency, West Papua. The barn is intended to store food ingredients needed by residents when a disaster hits the area.

Komarudin as a representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs said the existence of barns in disaster-prone areas is very important to maintain the availability of food ingredients, especially when disasters occur.

"Social granaries are not only for a short time, but will be continued. Assistance distributed to social granaries please be distributed to the entire community. This is a form of preparedness for disasters," he said when met in Wasior, West Papua, quoted from Antara, Friday, August 19.

For the first stage, the Ministry of Social Affairs chose the Wondama GKI (Evangelical Christian Church) Office to be the social granary post for Teluk Wondama Regency.

On Tuesday, August 16, the first social granary was filled at the GKI Wondama Classic Office with logistics in the form of food for children.

Komarudin said that logistics stored in social granaries are generally food ingredients so they have a validity period.

Therefore, the Ministry of Social Affairs asked the Klasis GKI Wondama to distribute the existing goods to the people and other communities in need, both within the internal scope of GKI and other elements of society.

"If later Kadinsos and the Head of Klasis want to use the items in the preparedness activities, go ahead. When they are finished, please write to them immediately, because the Minister of Social Affairs (Tri Rismaharini) will directly take care of them. So it is no longer tiered," said Komarudin.

The Chairperson of the GKI Wondama Klasis, Reverend Rosalie Wamafma, appreciates the trust of the Ministry of Social Affairs in choosing the GKI Wondama Klasis Office as a social granary post.

Pastor Ros, as he is known as his close friend, interprets the existence of a social barn at the GKI Wondama Classic Office as a gift for the 77th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia.

"To coincide with the celebration of the 77th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, we as citizens of this country have received blessings from the Ministry of Social Affairs. We have always believed that God has many ways to help us," said Pastor Ros.

The Head of the Wondama Bay Social Service, Eka Wosiri, explained that Wondama Bay Regency is a flood-prone area because it has many rivers.

According to Wosiri, in the Wasior area and its surroundings alone, there are at least 52 rivers ranging in size from small to large.

"Floods have come repeatedly. So we really need a helping hand from the central government, especially the Ministry of Social Affairs," he said.