Humanitarian Ship Delivered 1,000 Tons of Aid to South Kalimantan

On Saturday (1/30/2021), the Humanitarian Ship sailed from the Port of Tanjung Perak in Surabaya to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. (ACTNews / Reza Mardhani).

ACTNews, SURABAYA – Dozens of cities and regencies in South Kalimantan have been flooded in January 2021. As of Thursday (1/28/2021), Regional Disaster Mitigation Board of South Kalimantan noted that 11 municipalities and regencies were flooded, affecting over 627 thousand people. 24 casualties were reported, and around 63 thousand people were displaced. The affected regions are Hulu Sungai Tengah Regency, Banjar Regency, Tanah Laut Regency, Barito Kuala Regency, Balangan Regency, Tabalong Regency, Banjarbaru City, Banjarmasin City, Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, and Tapin Regency.

The massive flood has hampered the economic activities in the area while the flood survivors are still in dire need of assistance. Therefore, Aksi Cepat Tanggap invites various elements of the nation to deliver aid packages to South Kalimantan through the Humanitarian Ship program.

On Saturday (1/30/2021), the Humanitarian Ship departed from Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya. The ship carried 1,000 tons of basic supplies consisting of foodstuffs, clothes, diapers for babies and the elderly, blankets, tarpaulin, tents and others. These aid packages were donated by the people of Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java.

Ahyudin, Chairman of ACT’s Supervisory Board said that this tragedy made us all get closer to Allah once again. A series of natural disasters that have occurred is a test from which we should take life lessons. "Hopefully, this Humanitarian Ship is not just a sensational action. It is a manifestation of great care in humanitarianism and philanthropy. We are a great nation famous for its mutual cooperation. It only takes our seriousness to face the disasters. We must not blame each other. Let’s work together and compete not only in words but also in great actions to response to the disasters. Natural disasters will also lead to poverty and economic disasters. Of course, a great nation will not be great without a difficult trial and tribulation. So that we must always be kind to one another,” he said.

Humanitarian Ship for South Kalimantan is part of a series of emergency response actions in South Kalimantan. During this post-disaster emergency phase, the disaster survivors are still in dire need of food. With over 63,000 people affected by the flood, the Humanitarian Ship will expand the reach of the food aid to the flood survivors.

Head of Pangdam V / Brawijaya Expert Staff Brigadier General Yoyok Bagus Budianto, Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa, YP3I Chairman Marzuki Alie, Chairman of ACT’s Supervisory Board Ahyudin, and Muslim scholar KH Mahfudz Syaubari (left to right) during the departure of the Humanitarian Ship for South Kalimantan. (ACTNews / Reza Mardhani)

Marzuki Ali as the Chairperson of Yayasan Penguatan Peran PEsantren Indonesia (YP3I) stated that this disaster was one of the warnings from Allah. "The delivery of this assistance is a form of social and humanitarian solidarity and to all Indonesian people. However, we hope that this disaster won’t happen again. There must be improvements in governance related to the conservation of nature. We have an obligation to protect the environment. It is shocking to see how our lands are burned, deforested for the greed of certain companies or individuals. Nature belongs to all of us, therefore we should not be greedy, let's rectify our mistakes,” he said during the departure of tbe Humanitarian Ship in Surabaya.

Sunday (1/24/2021), the Provincial Government of South Kalimantan decided to extend the emergency response status for the flood for another seven days because the floods had not receded. The emergency response status in South Kalimantan is based on the Decree (SK) of the Governor of South Kalimantan, Sahbirin Noor, Number 360/038 / BPBD / 2021. The first emergency response period lasted for 14 days from January 14 to January 27, 2021.

Previously, on Wednesday (1/27/2021), ACT also dispatched a Humanitarian Ship to Mamuju, West Sulawesi. The ship carried tons of aid from the people of Jabodetabek, Banten, and West Java. The delivery of these aid packages was followed by the establishment of humanitarian posts and the provision of free food, clean water, and medical assistance for disaster victims. []