Quake-proof domes attract many to Indonesian village

But residents of Nglepen in the lush green farming district of Sleman don’t seem to mind that their homes have become a tourist attraction.

“This is the only dome housing complex in Indonesia,” resident Nurhadi said proudly, adding visitors usually arrived in late afternoon when it was cooler.

The village was devastated by last year’s earthquake on the main island of Java which killed almost 6,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

A U.S.-based group and the World Association of Non-Government Organizations, offered to build the earthquake-resistant domes in the wake of the disaster.

Seventy families agreed and relocated nearby to a 2.5-hectare (six-acre) site which now also boasts a kindergarten, mosque and health center.

A wooden board saying “Welcome to new Nglepen” hangs on an gate at the entrance of the village.

As Indonesia Sunday marks one year since the disaster, residents say they have grown used to the domes despite their marked difference to traditional Indonesian homes.

“I like the house even though I felt a bit strange when I first arrived,” said Nurhadi. A visitor from the nearby city of Yogyakarta arrived with his children.

Hari Wirawan said he wanted to visit after hearing that the domes looked like the home of the “Teletubbies,” the popular children’s television program.

“I’m curious about the so-called Teletubby houses,” he said as his children played in the village.

The fireproof domes are a one-piece thin concrete structure with four rooms on the ground floor and one large room upstairs, made by Domes for the World with donations from a private company.

Nurhadi said the local government had banned residents from bringing their cattle down from the hills into the village, concerned they would deter the tourists.

“Most residents are farmers and traditional breeders and are used to having their cattle in the yard near their houses. They cannot do it anymore.”

Despite the restriction, another resident, Rumi, 30, said she felt safer in the domes. “I’m happy living here because I don’t need to worry about another earthquake (destroying the village),” she said.

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