Six districts in South-East Sulawesi to receive fisherman housing assistance through KNMP programme

Kendari — The South-East Sulawesi provincial government has announced that six districts in the Bumi Anoa region are receiving fisherman housing assistance through the Red and White Fishermen Village (KNMP) programme, with a total budget allocation of 132 billion rupiah.

Martin Effendi Patulak, Head of the Provincial Department of Housing, Settlement Areas, and Land, stated in Kendari on Tuesday that the programme focuses on improving and rebuilding fisherman housing that has previously been classified as uninhabitable.

“The six districts included in the KNMP programme are Konawe, Bombana, Kolaka, North Buton, Muna, and South Buton regencies,” said Martin Effendi.

He noted that assistance for habitable housing, sourced from the central government, will be prioritised in fishing settlement areas to enable comprehensive environmental improvements across a single region.

Martin Effendi explained that the development pattern will be conducted in an integrated manner within a single village or area, ensuring that housing improvements for fishing communities are not carried out in a fragmented fashion.

“So, for example, if we start in a particular village, we will complete everything there,” said Martin Effendi.

He also noted that the provincial government is currently identifying other areas with substandard fishing settlements to prioritise under similar programmes.

“We are also still awaiting decision letters from respective regents and mayors regarding nominations for assistance recipients,” he explained.

However, Martin Effendi stated that housing construction need not wait for all decision letters to be completed.

“We hope that work will begin in April, so we will not wait for all decision letters to be issued completely. Whichever ones have been submitted, we will push forward with construction,” he said.

Regarding the quota for assistance, each regency is expected to receive up to a maximum of 100 housing units. However, the exact number will be adjusted based on conditions and needs in each village.

“The quota per regency will be a maximum of 100 housing units. However, it will ultimately depend on the situation in the village — if there are only 50 houses needed in a particular village, we will build that many first,” he added.