Ministry of Tourism prepares reconstruction scheme for Sade Village following fire

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Tourism has begun preparing a scheme to reconstruct Sade Village in West Nusa Tenggara following a fire disaster on Saturday (22/8).

“We from the Ministry of Tourism, together with Poltekpar (Tourism Polytechnic), are also assisting; we will hold meetings with the Local Government regarding how to restore and rebuild, and of course, involve the community together,” said Minister of Tourism Widiyante Putri Wardhana in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Friday.

Widiyanti stated that the recovery will focus on drafting a comprehensive reconstruction masterplan, which is not only oriented towards physical construction but also towards strengthening the social, cultural, and economic resilience of the local community.

To align these efforts, Widiyanti held a coordination meeting with the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, the Regent of Central Lombok, Lalu Pathul Bahri, the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), the Lombok Tourism Polytechnic, and various tourism ecosystem stakeholders. The meeting formulated four main steps in the long-term reconstruction plan for the Sade Traditional Village.

The first step involves the formation of a cross-sector working team involving central government ministries/agencies, local governments, partners, and indigenous communities.

This team is tasked with conducting detailed data collection on affected residents and workers to ensure that the distribution of aid is targeted and accurate.

Furthermore, the government plans to open a single-window donation account to facilitate the collection of reconstruction funds for the village. This step will be balanced with efforts to secure the supply of traditional building materials, which remains a primary challenge for the indigenous community in restoring their dwellings.

The third step focuses on drafting a reconstruction masterplan in collaboration with stakeholders and indigenous communities to ensure the character and authentic identity of Sade Village are preserved.

She emphasised that the traditional houses in Sade hold high historical value and serve as the primary livelihood for residents; therefore, the central and local governments are committed to continuing the construction of habitable homes for the Sade indigenous people.

Widiyanti also requested that the recovery process be carried out comprehensively, placing the community as the primary actors.

Furthermore, she expressed hope that this entire reconstruction masterplan could serve as a pilot project for other traditional villages to strengthen risk mitigation and safety without losing traditional values.

On this occasion, she also expressed her deep empathy for the affected community.