VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 11 - The Indonesian government has been earmarking Rp4 trillion-Rp5 trillion every year for disaster mitigation efforts in the country, director general of budget at the Finance Ministry, Askolani, said.

"Of course, the budget fund of Rp4 trillion to Rp5 trillion we set aside in the state budget is an initial indicator," he said during a coordination meeting on disaster mitigation in 2021, held at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNBP) Building in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The funds are not always used up, depending on the scale of disasters, he informed.

If a huge disaster happens, the amount of mitigation funds is usually increased through debt rescheduling, he said.

"The funds originally planned in the state budget for repaying foreign debt and interest are reallocated for disaster mitigation efforts," he explained.

Disaster mitigation funds are disbursed under two funding schemes. Under one scheme, funding is distributed during the emergency response period through the BNPB, and under the second, funds are provided during the post-disaster period through rehabilitation and reconstruction programs, Askolani said.

The funds are channeled through ministries/institutions or regional governments in coordination with BNPB, he added.

He further praised the BNPB for successfully coordinating with several agencies to handle the impact of natural disasters so far.

"Through this model, alhamdulillah (thank God), with the presence of BNPB, the coordination has been far better and solid," he said.

He assured that the government always has sufficient funds to handle disasters.

"So there is no term like ‘no funds’," he remarked. (Antaranews)