Environmental health issues in the wake of a major earthquake in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Abstract

The 2009 earthquake in Padang, the capital city of the province of West Sumatra in Indonesia, devastated the city’s physical landscape, causing material and economic damage that has yet to be repaired. Environmental health issues arising from the earthquake also remain mostly unresolved. Many of the earthquake’s most devastating effects were exacerbated by the lack of effective contingency planning and responses in place. This paper presents the events relating to reconstruction efforts in the year following the earthquake and the environmental health issues that emerged, including problems related to the water supply and a serious outbreak of dengue fever. Four features of the Indonesian political landscape that affected the response to the disaster and the reconstruction process are identified: corruption; regional autonomy; technological leapfrogging; and the concept of pembangunan [development].