More Defence news: 05 October 2009 - 11 October 2009
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Padang Assist – one week on | Clean water for Padang | Joint operation takes fight to Taliban | Medical team arrives in Padang for earthquake relief |
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09 October - One week after the Padang earthquake, Australian Defence Force (ADF) relief efforts continue to deliver medical treatment, fresh drinking water and tonnes of humanitarian aid into the region. The ADF teams, which departed RAAF bases Darwin, Richmond and Amberley soon after the earthquake, have quickly established themselves in the city of Padang and outlying areas destroyed in the disaster, assessing medical and engineering needs. RAAF C-130 Hercules, flying missions in and out of Padang from Jakarta, have ferried 250 tonnes of equipment and emergency aid from United States, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia so far. With the co-operation of AusAID and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the ADF has managed a graduated and measured response to the needs of the earthquake victims. Initial assessments indicated that fresh drinking water was the number one priority for the people of Padang as the local water treatment plant, supplying sixty percent of the city’s water, had been damaged in the earthquake. Darwin based 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, using an ADF water purification plant, is now producing about 10,000 litres an hour of fresh water a day after arriving. Tasting the water during a visit to the site, the Deputy Mayor Mr Mehyeldi Ansarullah thanked the Australians for helping the people of Padang. “The water tastes good. Thank you to all the Australians, it is very nice of you to help us,” Mr Ansarhullah said. “Thank you for solving our water problem, I have never seen water from the sea being made into water you can drink.” HMAS Kanimbla is planned to depart Darwin on the weekend, bringing its significant medical facility, two embarked Sea Kings, a further Army engineers and various landing craft to assist getting equipment ashore. More: Media Release | Image Gallery |
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07 October - ADF engineers in Padang have begun producing enough clean water to supply up to 78,000 people as part of Defence’s ongoing support to the earthquake-stricken region. The recent earthquake caused considerable damage to a water supply station that serviced 60 per cent of the city’s water supply. Twenty-three soldiers from the Darwin-based 1st Combat Engineer Regiment are now converting sea water into drinking water at a rate of around 10,000 litres per hour. The Padang Deputy Mayor Mahyeldi said that the locals were amazed at how the Australians could turn sea water into fresh water. “The water tasted very good,” Mayor Mahyeldi said. “It is very good that the Australians can turn sea water into drinking water. This is the first time we have seen this done.” The Joint Task Force engineer assessment team commander, Major Brent Maddock, said that AusAid had facilitated a coordinated approach with local water authorities, French and German agencies and the ADF to resolve the town’s water distribution problems. “AusAid has been essential in coordinating this combined approach to solving one of the most pressing problems the city faces,” Major Maddock said. “Our water purification plant capability, along with the water dispersion equipment of the French and the water testing ability of the Germans, means we will be able to improve the availability of water to those who need it by at least 400 per cent.” Local authorities have also been using water trucks to transport water from outlying supply stations to 20 large water tanks located around the city for residents to access. The purification plants are operated by an eight-person team and can provide 200,000 litres of clean water each day. More: Image Gallery |
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Joint operation takes fight to Taliban
07 October - A joint Afghan National Army, Australian Defence Force, Dutch and US operation is now working to remove Taliban insurgents from the Mirabad area, located east of Tarin Kowt. Under the name of Operation Baz Panje, meaning Falcon’s Talon, the combined force was air-lifted by helicopter into the region in a major air mobile operation on 25 September, with ground operations commencing immediately. The operation is progressing well with the discovery of several improvised explosive devices and weapons caches—a critical step in spreading the coalition’s influence into the area. The Commanding Officer of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force-2, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Connolly, said the Mirabad area has historically had a limited security presence. “The Mirabad Valley is a place that has been dominated by the Taliban insurgency for the past seven years and in fact the young people in the valley have become used to having no legitimate governance structure over them instead being dominated by the insurgency,” Lieutenant Colonel Connolly said. “This is a method of expanding the Afghan Development Zone from Tarin Kowt out to the east. “They’ve seen a lot of fleeting visits by the coalition forces and what they need to see now is a persistent presence, particularly from the Afghan National Security Forces.” Alongside their Afghan Army colleagues, the Australian soldiers and other coalition forces have spent weeks planning the operation before carrying out detailed air insertion rehearsals in the days leading up to the operation. Lieutenant Colonel Connolly said the ongoing operation also marked the growing capability of the Afghan National Army’s 4th Brigade. “…in doing so, it will allow the new infantry battalion, the 3rd Kandak, to establish itself in a new area, spreading security out to the east of Tarin Kowt through the Mirabad Valley,” Lieutenant Colonel Connolly said. Lieutenant Colonel Connolly said the Afghan Kandak established in the Mirabad Valley will be mentored by Australian Forces. “…from our perspective we have a lot of interest in making sure the valley is properly cleared, that it’s properly secured and that the best standard of facility is established there for Australians and Afghans to work together side by side in the future,” Lieutenant Colonel Connolly said.More: Image gallery |
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Medical team arrives in Padang for earthquake relief
07 October - An ADF Primary Health Care Team able to provide general medical services as well as round-the-clock surgical procedures including orthopaedic surgery has arrived in Padang as part of Defence’s Indonesian earthquake relief effort. The 1st Health Support Battalion (1HSB) team is made up of 22 specialist medical staff with stores for self sustainment and basic medical aid. Commander of the ADF established Joint Task Force 629, Lieutenant Colonel Neil Sweeney, said the arrival was part of the government’s graduated and measured response to the disaster relief effort. “As a co-ordinated response with AusAid and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the team will conduct some site assessments initially to determine where the Primary Health Care Team will be most effective,” Lieutenant Colonel Sweeney said. “This is the first push from 1HSB with the remainder of the field hospital element waiting in Darwin on short notice, ready to be called forward if required.” The team also includes a nursing unit, radiology, pathology and a psychological support team. Commander of the Medical Assessment Element, Squadron Leander Collette Richards, said a field hospital facility would provide a much needed medical service to the people of the outlying regions who have been hit hard by the earthquake and subsequent land slides. A complete hospital capability will see up to 80 personnel providing medical aid to the local population. More: Image gallery |
