W. Sumatra loses Rp 14b to disasters
W. Sumatra loses Rp 14b to disasters
PADANG, West Sumatra: A total of 18 natural disasters -- floods, fires, earthquakes and landslides -- from January to April 2003 has cost the West Sumatra administration Rp 14 billion (US$1.7 million) in material losses.
Fachril Murad, an official with the administration, said on Friday that the province's topography made it susceptible to natural disasters. West Sumatra is surrounded by two lakes, seven mountains, several valleys and the Mentawai Strait.
Unchecked illegal logging and related activities are other factors that help trigger the disasters.
Fachril said that the administration needed to be able to detect the natural disasters to avoid casualties, and had thus decided to hold a natural disaster management workshop. The workshop will run from June 23 to June 26, and involve 40 participants from various community and public organizations.
He hoped that the participants would be able to train more people in their respective areas so that they could cope with the natural disasters. -- Antara
;ANTARA; ANPAa..r.. Across-PMI-public-baths PMI starts building public baths JP/5/ACROSS
PMI starts building public baths
BENGKULU CITY, Bengkulu: The Bengkulu chapter of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has started building 87 units of public baths and toilets in Sukasari village, Sukaraja district with Rp 450 million (US$54,880) in aid from the Singapore Red Cross and an additional Rp 250 million from PMI.
Construction on the public baths is expected to be finished in five months.
The head of the PMI provincial chapter, Wahiddun Nurdin Djangjaja, said that the Singapore Red Cross had agreed to fund the public bathing facilities after the village was hit by an earthquake registering 7.3 on the Richter scale on June 6, 2000.
"Each unit will be shared by three villagers," he said. "We hope the public baths and toilets will improve sanitation in the neighborhood and reduce possible cases of diarrhea."
A total of 94 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in the quake that caused Rp 310 billion in material losses. -- Antara