Govt Allocates Rp 67 Billion for Sinabung Victims’ Relocation

Jakarta Globe, February 5, 2014

People living within three kilometers from the crater of Mount Sinabung will be
relocated, the government’s disaster-management agency has said. (IRIN Photo)

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said on Wednesday that Rp 67 billion ($5.5 million) had been allocated to a build a new settlement for more than 1,000 families displaced by volcanic activity around Mount Sinabung in Karo district, North Sumatra.

Repeated eruptions since September last year have driven nearly 32,000 away from their homes and killed 16 people. The government has, however, decided that the replacement land will be provided only for people living within three kilometers of the crater.

BNPB secretary Fatchul Hadi said the new houses would be built in the subdistrict of Kabanjahe, approximately seven kilometers away from the old neighborhood inside the danger zone.

“The main issue with this relocation plan was [the acquisition of] land, but it has been settled now,” Fatchul told a press conference at the BNPB headquarters in Jakarta. “We’ve secured 15 out of the targeted 25 hectares. In the next few days, we hope to secure all of it.”

A total of 1,109 families will be included in the relocation plan. Each of them will be allocated between 100 and 150 square meters of land, and Rp 30 million with which to build a new house.

“The fund [Rp 67 billion] also includes costs for the construction of necessary facilities, such as roads and clean water,” Fatchul said.

The BNPB would coordinate with the Ministry of Public Works to enact the measures, he said, which are not expected to begin until the volcanic activity returns to normal levels.

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