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An Appropriate Land Transportation System for Disaster Management to Promote Public Well-Being

This essay was written by Zahra Annisa Fitri and won Second Place in the "Integrated, Smart, and Sustainable Indonesia Land Transportation System" Essay Competition, organized by the School of Strategic and Global Studies, Universitas Indonesia, and the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia in October 2024.

Disasters do not discriminate. I have repeated this statement to open both my undergraduate and master's theses. In this essay on land transportation, I wish to convey the same idea. Disasters do not discriminate, but disaster recovery certainly does, as reflected in the title of Tidwell's (2019) article. Disasters, which can cause significant destruction, reduce household well-being and worsen poverty status, as argued by Dartanto (2017). This is why disasters are discussed in an essay centered on public well-being.

Just this past March, public well-being was put at risk when a disaster struck and land transportation access was severed. Residents of Pesisir Selatan Regency in West Sumatra became victims, unable to receive the emergency relief supplies that should have reached them immediately. As reported by Azzaren (2024), volunteers spent hours walking on foot to deliver food to Kampung Langgai.

So far, we have discussed only one component of the land transportation system: roads. What about other elements, such as terminals? Fadhil (2020) reported that TransJakarta bus shelters were used as temporary evacuation centers during the Jakarta floods. Even three days later, as reported by Lesmana (2020), the shelters continued to accommodate evacuees until their homes were completely free of floodwater.

Land transportation modes also play a vital role. Following the 2018 earthquake and tsunami in Palu, survivors had to wait before being evacuated to Gorontalo using trucks owned by the Gorontalo Regency Government, which had originally been sent to transport relief supplies (Department of Communication, Informatics, and Statistics of Gorontalo Province, 2018). Imagine if Palu's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, inaugurated only this year (Palu City Government, 2024), had already existed six years earlier. It might have served a function similar to Miami-Dade Metrobus (Sussman, 2017), picking up evacuees and transporting them to safer locations.

Perhaps we should take seriously the warning reflected in the title of Anderson et al.'s article: the underestimated role of the transportation network. Notably, the very first example discussed in their study is Indonesia's 2018 earthquake and tsunami. The authors explain that one consequence was that many of the thousands of affected children were still unable to return to school even two years later because transportation networks had not yet been restored.

Considering that well-being is closely linked to resilience (Riasnugrahani et al., 2024), and that communities become more resilient as access to essential resources improves (Climate Adaptation Platform, 2022), I am increasingly convinced that it is time to stop underestimating land transportation networks. After all, transportation networks are fundamental to community resilience because they ensure access to essential resources such as food, healthcare, education, and emergency services. In other words, the better the land transportation network, the better access people have to these vital resources; the greater their resilience, and ultimately, the greater their well-being.

Despite the many challenges that remain, I am optimistic that Indonesia's land transportation system has already begun connecting the country in the sense described above. Since at least 2021, the Minister of Transportation has declared that collaboration in disaster management must continue to be strengthened (Bureau of Public Communication and Information, Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia, 2021). In fact, going back even further to the launch of the #OneDecadeConnectingIndonesia initiative in 2014, disaster-prone areas had already been identified as priorities for improving connectivity. This commitment was highlighted in the Ministry's 2014–2019 performance report, which specifically mentioned efforts to improve connectivity in disaster-prone regions (Bureau of Public Communication and Information, Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia, 2019).

Therefore, when asked, "Has Indonesia's land transportation system connected the nation?" I believe one important meaning of "connecting" is connecting Indonesia to stronger protection against disaster risks. This is especially relevant given that Indonesia ranks as the world's second most disaster-prone country, according to Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft (2023), a German alliance of humanitarian organizations. Achieving this requires a land transportation system that is (a) integrated with disaster management systems, (b) smart in supporting evacuation routes and relief distribution, and (c) sustainable in addressing climate change and the long-term impacts of disasters. After all, lives are more than mere statistics, and connecting Indonesia in this way will save lives while advancing public well-being.

References

Anderson, M. J., Kiddle, D. A. F., & Logan, T. M. (2022). The underestimated role of the transportation network: Improving disaster & community resilience. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 106, 103218.

Azzaren. (2024). Relief for Flood and Landslide Victims Hampered by Cut-Off Roads. Retrieved from https://www.kitakini.news/news/10704/bantuan-korban-banjir-dan-longsor-terkendala-jalan-putus/

Bureau of Public Communication and Information, Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia. (2019). Five Years of Performance Achievements: Minister of Transportation—Indonesia-Centric Development Opens Isolated Areas and Creates New Economic Opportunities. Retrieved from https://dephub.go.id/post/read/capaian-lima-tahun-kinerja,-menhub--indonesia-sentris-membuka-keterisolasian-dan-membuka-ruang-ekonomi-baru

Bureau of Public Communication and Information, Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia. (2021). Minister of Transportation: Disaster Management Collaboration Must Continue to Be Strengthened. Retrieved from https://dephub.go.id/post/read/menhub---kolaborasi-penanggulangan--bencana-harus-terus--ditingkatkan

Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft / IFHV. (2023). WorldRiskReport 2023. Berlin: Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft.

Climate Adaptation Platform. (2022). The Transportation Network's Role in Disaster and Community Resilience. Retrieved from https://climateadaptationplatform.com/transportation-networks-role-in-disaster-and-community-resilience/

Dartanto, T. (2017). Disaster, Mitigation and Household Welfare in Indonesia. LPEM-FEBUI Working Paper No. 006.

Department of Communication, Informatics, and Statistics of Gorontalo Province. (2018). Requesting Immediate Evacuation, 39 Palu Residents Depart for Gorontalo. Retrieved from https://berita.gorontaloprov.go.id/2018/10/03/meminta-segera-dievakuasi-39-warga-palu-diberangkatkan-ke-gorontalo/

Fadhil, H. (2020). Jakarta Floods: TransJakarta Bus Shelters Become Evacuation Centers. Retrieved from https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4842543/banjir-di-jakarta-halte-transjakarta-jadi-tempat-pengungsian

Lesmana, A. S. (2020). TransJakarta: Bus Shelters May Continue to Be Used by Flood Evacuees Until Their Homes Are Clean. Retrieved from https://www.suara.com/news/2020/01/04/172837/transjakarta-halte-bisa-digunakan-pengungsi-banjir-jika-rumah-belum-bersih

Palu City Government. (2024). Launch of Trans Palu Bus Service. Retrieved from https://palukota.go.id/peluncuran-bus-trans-palu/

Riasnugrahani, M., Setiawan, T., de Jong, E., & Takwin, B. (2024). A dual pathway for understanding the relation between wellbeing and resilience. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1–15.

Sussman, B. (2017). Public Transit Use for Disaster Recovery. Retrieved from https://medium.com/move-forward-blog/public-transit-use-for-disaster-recovery-339a8209a2ae

Tidwell, W. A. (2019). Disasters Don't Discriminate, But Disaster Recovery Does. Retrieved from https://otherwords.org/disasters-dont-discriminate-but-disaster-recovery-does/

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