Aceh tsunami cost $4.5b in material losses: Bappenas<\/p>\n
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government assessed the damage of the tsunami in Aceh and
\nNorth Sumatra, the first step to determining the total costs and
\nfinancing required for the rebuilding program -- a key
\nprerequisite for a debt moratorium scheme it can propose to the
\nParis Club of creditor nations.<\/p>\n
The government, with the World Bank and the International
\nMonetary Fund, will now have to assess the cost of Aceh's
\nrehabilitation and reconstruction needs, which is expected to
\ntake about three months to complete.<\/p>\n
Such an assessment was required by the Paris Club meeting on
\nJan. 12.<\/p>\n
At a media briefing at the Consultative Group on Indonesia
\n(CGI) meeting on Wednesday, State Minister of National
\nDevelopment Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati said material damage
\nand losses from the tsunami amounted to US$4.5 billion.<\/p>\n
\"The losses have affected many farmers and fishermen who have
\nnot been able to earn a livelihood since the disaster,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"Although providing compensation for the damages and losses
\nwould surely prove to be legally difficult, the government will
\nwork hard to resolve the problem.\"<\/p>\n
Concerning the total cost of Aceh's rehabilitation and
\nreconstruction process, Mulyani said the exact figure was yet to
\nbe determined, and that it would possibly be far higher than the
\ngovernment's initial estimation.<\/p>\n
\"The finance ministry has estimated that it could reach up to
\nRp 5.3 trillion ($588 million) for just this year alone,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The government previously estimated that the devastation in
\nAceh cost Rp 30 trillion ($3.33 billion) in total.<\/p>\n
The rehabilitation costs will be split evenly between the
\nstate budget and contributions from donors, while ensuring that
\nit would be transparently accounted for, said Mulyani.<\/p>\n
Material damage and losses (in billions of US$):<\/p>\n
Sectors Amount<\/p>\n
Social sectors 1.741<\/p>\n
Infrastructure 0.877<\/p>\n
Productive sectors 1.182<\/p>\n
Others 0.652<\/p>\n
Total 4.452<\/p>\n
Source: Bappenas<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-tsunami-cost-45b-in-material-losses-bappenas-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }