Task Force Proposes Raising Home Renovation Grants for Disaster Victims to Rp80 Million
The Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Task Force (Satgas PRR) for Sumatra has proposed increasing the stimulant grant for severely damaged homes from Rp60 million to Rp80 million per unit. The proposal is designed to improve the quality of permanent housing for disaster survivors.
The increase in aid is expected to accelerate the recovery of communities who have lost their homes. Beyond just rebuilding, the government wants to ensure that the new dwellings are more liveable, safe, and comfortable for occupancy.
During a ministerial-level coordination meeting regarding the proposed adjustment of the stimulant grant for severely damaged houses at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture in Jakarta on Thursday (2/7), the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, stated that the additional funds would be focused on two permanent housing (huntap) schemes. The first is in-situ huntap, which is rebuilt in the original location. The second is independent ex-situ huntap, built in a new location deemed safer from disaster risks.
“So, the in-situ ones total 8,000. The independent ex-situ ones total 8,000. So, it is approximately 16,000. But so far, those who have applied, whose data has been submitted to the BNPB, number around 14,500 from the regions, bottom-up from the regional heads,” he said in a written statement on Friday (3/7).
Suharyanto stated that the proposed adjustment of the aid value to Rp80 million per unit is based on two main considerations. These considerations are the increase in building material prices and the government’s commitment to raising the standard of living for survivors. The additional Rp20 million per unit is planned to be directed towards improving the physical quality of the buildings. These improvements include installing ceramic tiles in all rooms and bathrooms, installing ceilings, applying smoother wall plaster, and adding a terrace.
With these additions, the survivors’ homes are expected to be more liveable and functional for the affected families. The current standard of Rp60 million does not yet cover these elements. “Currently, the Rp60 million does not include ceramic tiles or smooth plaster. The bathroom is not tiled. If we add Rp20 million, everything will be tiled. Besides that, there will be a ceiling, and outside there will be a terrace and a tiled bathroom,” he explained.
Currently, the BNPB is accelerating the construction of both in-situ and independent ex-situ permanent housing in three affected provinces. Out of the total requirement of around 16,000 units, approximately 800 permanent housing units have entered the construction phase. Suharyanto confirmed that the proposal for the increased aid has reached a consensus at the ministerial and institutional level. The proposal is now just awaiting the President’s decision.
Responding to this, the Head of the Sumatra Post-Disaster PRR Task Force, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, expressed full support for the proposal. He assessed that the increase in aid is a solution-oriented step to accelerate the recovery of residents’ housing. He noted that the construction of in-situ and independent ex-situ permanent housing involves a high level of complexity because the locations are scattered across many points. Therefore, the Task Force has proposed using the BNPB’s Ready-to-Use Fund (DSP) mechanism so that implementation in the field can be more flexible, fast, and well-targeted.