VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The government of Indonesia is determined to accelerate the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction of facilities after the devastating earthquake in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province.

The government will encourage the community to be directly involved in the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, which is different from handling other assistance for the earthquake victims.

Social Affairs Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has said that the government would encourage the community and even the quake victims to work independently, so that the rehabilitation and reconstruction process would be quickly completed, as the government provides funds and facilities to them.

In addition to the community, the government will also involve the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the region in procuring basic materials for development, in order to revive the economy of the earthquake-stricken areas.

Previously, the Deputy for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Harmensyah, has targeted the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction of public facilities and community homes after the earthquake on Lombok Island to be completed by 2020.

He also explained that the data collection had to be completed in August 2018, and then there would be a coordination meeting on the reconstruction action plan at the central level in September 2018.

In December 2018, recovery of vital facilities and infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, etc., must be completed, and if not, it must be completed in March 2019, Harmensyah remarked.

In the meantime, Social Affairs Minister Kartasasmita also noted in Batam on Tuesday that the government is targeting the rehabilitation and reconstruction of areas affected by the earthquake in Lombok to be completed by August 2019.

The social affairs minister noted that all ministries will work together according to their respective main tasks to realize the target.

At present, the handling of the victims of the Lombok disaster has entered the rehabilitation and reconstruction stage, and based on the president`s instructions, the Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for social rehabilitation and social reconstruction.

According to him, the government will prioritize the construction of people`s houses from a number of programs.

The government has also prepared funds for housing repairs, namely Rp50 million for severely damaged houses, Rp25 million for moderately damaged ones, and Rp10 million for houses with minor damages.

In addition, the social affairs minister has also ensured government funds for the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Lombok.

The devastating earthquake, which was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, has resulted in great loss to the Indonesian people on the island of Lombok, and so the government needs to help them.

In a coordination meeting at the vice president`s office in Jakarta on Monday, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani revealed that the government has disbursed a budget of at least Rp1.9 trillion to rehabilitate and reconstruct areas affected by the earthquake in the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa.

During the meeting, Sri Mulyani reported to Vice President Jusuf Kalla that as of Monday, the disbursement of funds made by the government to deal with disasters in Lombok and Sumbawa has reached Rp1.9 trillion.

The budget is obtained from funds owned by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and reallocation from ministries and non-ministerial government agencies.

The government has provided budget worth Rp1.25 trillion through the Ministry of Social Affairs, Rp7.8 billion through the Ministry of Health, Rp176.2 billion through the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Rp230 billion through the Ministry of Education and Culture, and Rp1.5 billion through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Assistance from the government was provided for the provision of compensation, food packages, public kitchens, food, clothing, and tents through the Ministry of Social Affairs, while provision of medicines, nutritional logistics, and health post tents was provided through the Ministry of Health.

The funds from the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing will be used to supply water tank cars, sanitation cars, pickup trucks, cabin toilets, and generators.

The aid budget from the Ministry of Education and Culture will be used for the construction of emergency tents for learning and school equipment, and those from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will be used for the manufacture and maintenance of emergency response wells.

Sri Mulyani remarked that the government is now processing the request for almost Rp6 trillion from the National Disaster Management Agency, but the entire rehabilitation and reconstruction requested is being examined.

Government assistance for reconstruction will be provided in the form of money and assistance in building earthquake-resistant houses.

Reconstruction assistance in the form of money will be given in accordance with the type of damage to people`s homes.

In addition, the government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), will send field teams to Lombok to provide assistance on building earthquake-resistant houses.

The West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government will also bring in civil and architectural engineering students from Mataram University and Gajah Mada University of Yogyakarta to help the quake-affected residents build their houses. (ANTARA)