Government offers Rp 3.2 billion in relief aid to Bali quake victims
Government offers Rp 3.2 billion in relief aid to Bali quake victims
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Karangasem, Bali
Three Cabinet ministers visited on Sunday villages affected by a
strong earthquake on the island of Bali and delivered government
aid for people there.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla handed
over a Rp 3.2 billion (US$ 376,471) donation to Karangasem Regent
Sumantara AP to help the local administration rehabilitate health
and education facilities damaged in Friday's earthquake.
The earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, caused
damage to the regency's main hospital and eight community health
centers as well as 72 school buildings. It was estimated that the
loss inflicted by the quake on those facilities amounted to
nearly Rp 9 billion (US$1.05 million).
"Hospitals and schools are top priority. The most important
thing is to restore those facilities' ability to serve the
public," Kalla said.
The money for the donation originated from the state budget
and the Bali provincial development fund.
"It (the donation) is an emergency one. Later on, the
government will identify and determine other facilities that must
be rehabilitated," Kalla added.
Kalla, Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah and Health
Minister Achmad Suyudi paid a brief visit to the Karangasem
capital, Amlapura, to inspect several buildings severely damaged
in the quake. They were accompanied by Bali Governor Dewa Made
Beratha.
Aside from health and education facilities, the quake also
damaged 58 government buildings, 58 temples, nine mosques, two
churches, nine community halls and several public facilities and
infrastructure. The Karangasem administration estimates total
losses caused by the quake at Rp 27 billion.
Kalla also urged residents to repair the at least 4,101
damaged houses using their own funds and community cooperation.
"No house was destroyed or flattened to the ground, was it?
Only the roofs were damaged. So there are many building materials
that can be reused in the rehabilitation project," he said.
He also said that the Karangasem administration had provided
food assistance to quake victims.
However, Baharudin, a resident of Jeruk Manis Islam village in
Amlapura, said his family had not received any government
assistance.
"We have not even been visited by any local government
official, let alone received food assistance," he said.
His family currently live in a makeshift tent next to a barn,
too fearful of possible aftershocks to sleep in their house.
"We heard about food assistance in the form of 10 tons of
rice, but we haven't received any," another resident, Abdul
Majid, said.