Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Kediri
Refugees in shelters say they have been forced to sell their livestock after being made to evacuate their homes around Mount Kelud.
The government has not allowed the refugees to return home nor to work in the fields near the erupting volcano.
Marsini, 49, a resident of Kali Kuning village, Nglegok district in Blitar, said her family had already run out of food supplies.
She said she needed to buy groceries but had no money after being unable to work for more than two weeks at the Tjandi Sewu plantation near her home.
When The Jakarta Post visited Marsini at her refugee shelter, she had just enough coffee to make two glasses.
"This is the last of the coffee, so don't throw it away if you don't finish it. My husband can drink it later," Marsini told the Post.
Marsini and her family work as seasonal laborers, each earning a daily wage of Rp 8,000 (88 U.S. cents). They have lived for dozens of years in Kali Kuning, an isolated village eight kilometers from Mt. Kelud.
Inhabited by only 26 families, the village is not connected to the power grid but instead gets electricity from a generator. To conserve fuel the generator is operated only during the day.
The Blitar regency administration does not provide piped water to the village, so residents rely instead on wells, which dry up during times of droughts and volcanic activity on Mt. Kelud.
In the past, villagers refused to be evacuated because they didn't think Mt. Kelud's eruption would be life threatening.
However, this time around authorities have forced them to evacuate, going door to door and shutting down the plantations. The villagers eventually left for the refugee shelters after the government promised to see to their needs.
However, most of the promises have not been met, the refugees say.
"Most of those with babies have complained of not receiving infant food or formula milk. There is no coffee or other necessities aside from food for the adults. We want to return home, but if we tried, the authorities would return to force us away again," said Marsini.
To avoid the authorities, a number of villagers fled to the forests near Mt. Kelud.
"The government has good intentions in thinking of our safety, but please respect our choices to survive. Will the government provide us with proper jobs if we don't work?" Marsini said.
Marsini said she had sold one of her three goats to meet her family's living needs, and that she was afraid the others would be stolen while she and her family were away from home.
"Dozens of other residents have also sold their livestock because they need the money to live. We do not fear Mt. Kelud's eruption; we're afraid that if we stay in shelters we won't be able to provide for ourselves."
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