Rp 551b needed to restore Nabire

JAYAPURA: The town of Nabire, which was devastated by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Nov. 26, 2004, needed at least Rp 551 billion to rebuild.

The central government initially allocated Rp 59 billion from emergency funds to rebuild and restore infrastructure, public and government buildings, places of worship and residences.

Some Rp 15 billion has been disbursed directly to Nabire through Regent AP Youw's bank account and Rp 4.9 billion channeled to projects handled by the public works office in Papua.

Under the planned rebuilding program, the town center would be relocated 15 kilometers inland toward the mountainous area of Wanggar district applying quake-proof structures in buildings.

The Papua administration would also procure a seismograph to detect quakes. -- JP