EAST FLORES, NTT – The November 3, 2024 eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki forced more than 10,000 residents to leave their homes and evacuate to seven evacuation posts spread across East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Until now, more than 30 days after the eruption, survivors are still staying in the evacuation posts as the mountain continues to show volcanic activity.
However, the high concentration of activity in the evacuation centers is not matched by adequate waste management. This leads to piles of garbage that produce unpleasant odors and disturb the comfort of the survivors. Moreover, this condition also began to trigger health problems, such as skin itching experienced by some residents.
In response to this situation, Dompet Dhuafa’ s Disaster Management Center (DMC) took the initiative to manage waste in refugee camps. On Tuesday (10/12/2024), the DMC Dompet Dhuafa Disaster Response Team carried out a waste cleanup action by transporting piles of garbage at the Independent Evacuation Post in Konga Village and the Field Evacuation Post in Kobasoma Village, Titehen District, East Flores Regency.
“Most of the garbage in the refugee camps is not well managed, which creates an unpleasant smell and disturbs the residents who live there. This condition is also not good for the health of survivors,” said Alya Putri Firdaus, Dompet Dhuafa DMC Team who was at the evacuation site.
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Alya explained that the Dompet Dhuafa DMC Team transports waste from the evacuation post to be moved to an empty area far from the evacuation site. In this area, the waste will be further processed, especially for organic waste processing.
“Later, the garbage that we transport and collect in the centralized place will be sorted and processed to be used as animal feed for residents. Organic waste that is processed through fermentation using EM4 solution can produce feed that is useful for the survivors,” Alya continued.
On the first day of the cleanup, Tuesday (10/12/2024), the team managed to transport around 70 kilograms of organic waste. Special drums have been prepared to hold the organic waste mixed with effective microorganism solutions to accelerate the fermentation process.
According to Alya, the animal feed produced from food waste and organic waste has been confirmed safe by the Head of the East Flores Animal Health Division. Although the content of nutrients such as calcium cannot be measured with certainty, the feed is still beneficial for the livestock of the survivors.
“Many survivors brought their livestock when the eruption occurred. By processing this waste, we hope to help reduce their economic burden because they don’t need to buy animal feed,” said Alya.
Read also: Dompet Dhuafa distributes clean water to male Mount Lewotobi eruption survivors
This waste management effort shows Dompet Dhuafa’s real steps in maintaining the health of survivors while utilizing organic waste for the sustainability of the lives of disaster-affected communities. Alya hopes that this initiative can inspire various parties to provide sustainable solutions for disaster-affected areas.
“Friends, hopefully this initiative will not only ease the burden on the survivors, but also inspire various parties to participate in providing sustainable solutions for disaster-affected areas. Because there is only one Earth, empower now,” concluded Alya. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photo: DMC, Riza Muthohar
Editor: Dedi Fadlil