Government overwhelmed by cost of floods<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government has complained about its lack of
\nfunds to finance reconstruction projects in provinces recently
\nracked by floods and landslides.<\/p>\n
Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Erna
\nWitoelar said on Monday that there was no special budget for
\nresettling people whose homes were swept away by floods.<\/p>\n
\"We allocated some Rp 11.5 billion (US$1.2 million) recently
\nfor infrastructure rehabilitation in West Sumatra, North Sumatra,
\nAceh and Jambi,\" Erna told a news conference at her office.<\/p>\n
\"But we are having difficulty in providing homes for the
\nvictims and refugees, because there is no special budget
\nallocated for that.\"<\/p>\n
Therefore, she asked people in those provinces to help one
\nanother by contributing material to build new houses.<\/p>\n
The budget, she said, was used to repair public facilities,
\nincluding roads and bridges, which were either damaged or
\ndestroyed during the natural disasters.<\/p>\n
The latest disaster has hit several areas in Aceh, North and
\nWest Sumatra over the past few days, killing dozens of people and
\nleaving thousands of others homeless.<\/p>\n
The ministry said that so far in West Sumatra 45 people were
\ndead, 56 missing and 7,884 people were left stranded by the
\nfloods, which also caused some Rp 300 billion ($31.6 million) in
\nlosses.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra, 11 people have been killed, 21 reported
\nmissing and 70,843 people are stranded and facing food shortages
\nas access to the areas has been cut off by flooding and
\nlandslides.<\/p>\n
In Aceh, the ministry recorded some 20 fatalities and 297,203
\npeople left homeless, with a total loss of about Rp 301 billion
\n($31.7 million). The floods have also caused electricity and
\ntelecommunication blackouts in some areas.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Jambi, at least five people have died, one
\nreported missing and 8,351 refugees displaced. The material loss
\nis estimated at about Rp 71.5 billion ($7.5 million).<\/p>\n
In North Sulawesi, floods and landslides have left some 35,000
\npeople seeking refuge and caused Rp 180 billion ($18.9 million)
\nin losses.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency
\n(BMG), approximately 49 percent, or 139 regencies, in Indonesia
\nare prone to natural disasters.<\/p>\n
Erna warned that major flooding could hit the other Sumatra
\ntowns of Lampung and Palembang next.<\/p>\n
River<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, Erna said, the recent floods were more
\ndestructive than in the past.<\/p>\n
\"Recent floods have been more dangerous than previous times
\nbecause the water is carrying sediment from the landslides,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
As a result, people are finding it more difficult to swim as
\nthe rivers have become denser and can easily sweep homes away.<\/p>\n
The problems, Erna said, lie with the higher level of rainfall
\nand environmental destruction, as seen in deforested hills, which
\ndecrease the soil's ability to retain water. It has also resulted
\nin a higher content of sediment in the rivers.<\/p>\n
\"Many rivers are in critical condition now. The sediment makes
\nthe rivers hold less water volume,\" Erna said, adding that
\nCitanduy river in West Java holds 5 million cubic meters of
\nsediment per year as an example.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, the rivers are prone to drought in the dry
\nseason.<\/p>\n
\"The sediment should be dredged but there is no budget for
\nthat,\" she said. (hdn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-overwhelmed-by-cost-of-floods-1447893297",
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