One hardship that we have endured with the local population has been the scarcity of water. A bucket shower at the end of the day has been a relative luxury.
The taps ran dry for at least 24,000 families in Padang city when the mains distribution network was broken in the quake.
“ The hum of generators fills the air and within a few hours filthy river water is being turned in to crystal clear drinking water”
On Friday I spent time with Ezra Adimenggala and his Emergency Response Team (ERT) who have flown in from Bandung in Java with a formidable arsenal of equipment.
They specialise in emergency water sanitation and most of Ezra's 28-man team are veterans of the Tsunami where they were trained to run mobile water filtration units. Supported by the Spanish Red Cross, some of the team have been deployed to work on recent earthquake operations in Pakistan and China.
Gonzalo and Pablo arrived from the Spanish Red Cross in Madrid Thursday night bringing a cargo flight with two additional purification units for the team. They've set up an encampment on a patch of bare land in the middle of town.
The hum of generators fills the air and within a few hours filthy river water is being turned into crystal clear drinking water which is stored in huge bladder tanks resting on the ground.
“ Thousands of people are spending a few hours each day walking miles just to carry home a few containers of dirty river water for washing”
The filtration units can pump out 600,000 litres a day. Already local people can be seen with buckets and plastic jerrycans coming towards the camp. From tomorrow trucks will be tankering water to tanks in 10 distribution points around town.
"Robinson", the local community leader, watches the team set up with some bemusement.
Since the earthquake the water level in his well has dropped and the water has turned yellow. It's the same for the rest of the community. Now they have to spend more on buying drinking water.
The media always seem to dwell on the threat of waterborne diseases but quite often it can be water scarcity that is the immediate problem.
Thousands of people are now reliant upon their neighbours for well-water or are spending a few hours each day walking miles just to carry home a few containers of dirty river water for washing. This will change from Saturday.
The first tanker will be going to the Djamil Hospital, the main referal hospital in West Sumatra.
The earthquake hit the hospital badly and outpatients department completely collapsed.
Dr Suksi explains that the pipes are ruptured and they desperately need more water. Random donations of bottled drinking water have been useful for patients but without water for washing, the hospital laundry is out of action and the operating theatres can barely function.
Total dedication
I stumble across the Indonesian Red Cross blood bank at the hospital. Since the roof caved in the team have been operating under tarpaulins that form a makeshift shelter outside the centre.
Despite two of their refrigerators being knocked out and having no running water, Dr Beby and her team have shown total dedication.
When the earthquake struck, the blood bank never closed, they simply dusted everything off and moved the equipment outside. Unfazed technicians sit at makeshift tables on the veranda testing samples, others take blood from donors in a nearby tent.
People like Dr Beby and her team will stick in my memory. Despite the tragic circumstances it's in these situations when you often see humanity at its best.
This is my last diary entry. It's been a tumultuous week but under this kind of intensity the camaraderie that has built up over the week has forged strong bonds among the team.
Now it's time to step back and let someone else take the reins. What am I looking forward to? A shave, clean sheets and an extremely cold beer.
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They specialise in emergency water sanitation and most of Ezra's 28-man team are veterans of the Tsunami where they were trained to run mobile water filtration units. (p-IDN1513)
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