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Padang. As West Sumatra begins rebuilding after last week’s earthquake, questions are being raised about whether corruption and shoddy building standards contributed to the extent of the damage and casualties, and whether those problems could be addressed before calamity strikes again.

In Padang, the worst-hit city, around a quarter of the city’s buildings were flattened in the deadly 7.6-magnitude quake and almost all structures suffered at least superficial damage.

Most of the casualties stemmed from people being trapped in collapsed buildings and though almost a week has passed since last Wednesday’s earthquake, many of the bodies remain missing.

Padang resident Sribersihwati, 30, suspected that many buildings collapsed because corrupt officials and builders profited by cutting corners and violating construction standards.

“Builders can get away with using low-quality materials. Why do you think so many major buildings collapsed so easily?” she said.

Construction contractor Akbari agreed. “There are no local government regulations to ensure buildings in Padang are constructed to withstand quakes,” he said.

“The problem is new building contractors only care about profiting from these projects. They failed to construct buildings fit enough to withstand quakes.”

West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi admitted the government needed to improve the quality of construction in an area that lies near one of the world’s most volatile fault lines.

Seismologists all agree that Padang will face more earthquakes in the future, and warn that a much larger quake with far greater destructive force is inevitable in the region.

“You can expect an enormous quake in the region at least every 100 years, although we don’t know when it’s going to hit,” Australian seismologist Gary Gibson warned.

Padang Mayor Fauzi Bahar vowed that post-reconstruction work in his city must be up to scratch and building permits need to be handed out much more selectively.

“Of the collapsed buildings that need rebuilding, the construction must be up to standard,” Bahar said on Monday.

“We have to have good foundations, good quality iron and steel. We cannot let even one be built below standard. We must be more selective with our building permits.”

But Dewi Fortuna Anwar, of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said that what was lacking was enforcement. “The government must stipulate clear and proper building guidelines and ensure that builders comply with the rules.”

Gamawan said, “We need to implement new regulations in the future, or at least make the criteria to obtain a building permit stricter.”

Public facilities such as malls, hospitals and schools built in Padang are supposed to be able to withstand magnitude-eight earthquakes, Gamawan said.

“If the government fails to enforce it, the government can be sued,” Gamawan said.

Indonesian Red Crescent secretary-general Djazuli Ambari said corruption, not just poor enforcement, was to blame for much of the damage wrought by the latest quake.

“There’s so much corruption in Indonesia. Money is available and it shouldn’t be a problem building houses with strong foundations, but unfortunately it’s been misused,” he said.

“Those who suffer from corruption are the people. Life is precious and people shouldn’t die because of the government’s mismanagement.”

Dodi Nandika, the Education Ministry’s secretary-general, said a staggering 887 school buildings had been destroyed by the quake, causing an unknown number of children to lose their lives.

But he denied that corruption had contributed to the disaster. He said the government already had building construction codes in place designed to make new buildings quake resistant, but stronger enforcement was needed.

“The local government could use this disaster as a golden opportunity for better building in reconstruction,” said Jan Sopaheluwakan, LIPI’s scientific services deputy.

Jan said he believed public education was the key.

“The high number of fatalities in the [West Sumatra] earthquake showed that there was a big discrepancy between what the government and the public should do,” and what had actually been done, Jan said.

AFP, Reuters, JG