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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