Disaster Recovery in Buleleng Requires Tens of Billions, Businesses Involved
The cost of recovering from the flash flood disaster in Banjar and Seririt Districts, Buleleng, Bali, is estimated to reach tens of billions of rupiah. This budget is primarily needed for rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure.
Buleleng Regent I Nyoman Sutjidra stated that the initial response funding was drawn from the government’s contingency fund. Sutjidra also appealed for support through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes from business actors.
According to Sutjidra, businesses have expressed their readiness to assist in the recovery process. This commitment was secured following a coordination meeting held recently.
“Fortunately, almost all business actors in Buleleng attended that meeting. We conveyed the disaster conditions in Banjar and Seririt Districts, and their response was quite positive. They are prepared to participate in helping the recovery process,” said Sutjidra on Friday (13 March 2026).
CSR assistance will be focused on meeting urgent needs of affected communities, such as clean water, kitchen equipment, beds, school supplies, and basic foodstuffs. According to data collected at affected village posts, the most commonly requested items by residents include stoves, mattresses, gas, and bathing supplies.
Meanwhile, for infrastructure rehabilitation such as repairing roads, bridges, and public facilities damaged by the flash floods, Buleleng District Government estimates the budget needs to be much larger, reaching tens of billions of rupiah. “We will programme that specially in budget planning,” explained Sutjidra.
However, Sutjidra said the focus remains on the initial post-disaster response phase, which includes cleaning and recovery of affected areas. The cleaning process still requires considerable manpower.
The regional recovery process continues. Six pieces of heavy equipment have been deployed to accelerate the clearing of mud, debris, and fallen trees that still block several points in the flood-affected areas.
Sutjidra also raised the matter of emergency disaster response status. According to him, although this status allows the use of Contingency Expenditure funds (BTT), their use has a relatively short time limit.
“BTT funds can only be used during a limited emergency response period, usually around two weeks. Meanwhile, infrastructure rehabilitation obviously requires more time,” Sutjidra explained.
Channelling Assistance
Buleleng District Government is currently prioritising meeting the basic needs of affected communities, especially ahead of the Nyepi and Eid celebrations. The district government is distributing reserve rice to affected residents. Each household head receives 20 kilograms of rice.
“In total, approximately 430 household heads are receiving assistance, both in Banjar Village and other areas such as Seririt District,” said Sutjidra.
In addition to rice, other assistance such as mattresses, gas stoves complete with cylinders and regulators, and bathing supplies are also being distributed through the participation of civil servants and volunteers.