One day after the flood of 4th April 2021, with JICA
Chief Representative in Timor-Leste, we made a site visit appointment to Hinode
Bridge, a bridge which was constructed under the Japanese government grant aid
program. One main purpose is to check whether the Japanese constructed bridge
could withstand the powerful floods. Also, we would like to see impacts of the
floods to the community and other infrastructure. The Hinode Bridge was doing
fine. The flooding day photos and videos showed the bridge was functioning well
serving the traffic, and people were forming along the bridge rails to observe
the occurring river flow.
On the site, we were discussing so many things. I heard first
time about Build Back Better slogan on that day from the Chief of JICA. In
principle, I knew by the default what the slogan means. But I was not aware
that international agencies in global and here in this country are singing the
words to advocate effort to adapt and mitigate the Climate Change challenge.
Ever since, Build Back Better has become the most popular words, on Facebook
posts, survey reports, seminar speeches, and news and educational videos. But how
is the Build Back Better doing after the disaster?
I have no data to show, but I think somewhere only in
between 1 – 5% damages in Dili city got recovered since last year. I mean
recovered, not Build Back Better. The recovered damages were prioritized
because they were indispensably needed to survive; they were fully damaged or
inoperable. That ranges from the only roadways, the only cross drains,
no-longer-habitable after the flood areas. Those are recovered only to facilitate
the survival. Yes, the recovered damages are back in function, but do not seem
to be improving much compared to the baseline condition. They were still using
the same material, and technology. I am afraid whether it could withstand other
equal or more powerful disasters in the future. We never know, only engineers know;
well, only another flood disaster could test.
Build Back Better has not come to reality yet. Instead, what
I see is Build Back Back. Thousands of half damaged or partly damaged, and already
fragile infrastructure are left behind. It is surveyed, but no action until now.
The lag behind action has made the list adds up on and on. This year’s rains
have debilitated the existing problems and created new damages. I remember an
old gentleman in my neighborhood. He commented on several road surface
settlement spots and drainage retaining walls collapse near his house. He said
he does not expect at all the government to recover those damages soon. He
imagined that there are other thousands of damages around the Dili city that
need attention as well. He also said the contributing factor for the damage is very complex. Thus it will take time for the government to recover
and even near impossible to build it back better given the current resources
that this country can offer.
The disasters have outdone the capacity of the government to catch up. If Build Back Better should be achieved, the approaches and strategies must be future oriented. Build Back Better should not be shortsighted and narrowly defined at building scale, or sectoral and only for today. It should be integrative, comprehensive and is to withstand future’s challenges. This will be the potent way to Build Back our Community Better or out city better, otherwise, we Build Back Back, as I sarcastically invent, what I meant is we are building backward, not forward.
**Hope this gives you an inspiration.
