As of Tuesday, the authorities in South Tangerang will no longer distribute aid to the hundreds of victims of the Situ Gintung dam burst in Ciputat.
"On July 21, 2009, relief aid for Situ Gintung victims will be halted by the regional authorities," Mayor H.M. Shaleh said Sunday, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
The move is aimed at encouraging the victims to carry on with their lives without having to depend on the local administration for their needs, Shaleh said.
The aging reservoir, built in 1933 by the Dutch colonial government, collapsed on March 26, killing 100 people and destroying hundreds of homes.
After the tragedy, authorities were quick to point fingers, with the government agency for flood control and the Banten provincial administration blaming each other for the alleged misuse of a Rp 1.5 billion (US$ 148,000) fund initially meant for the reservoir's upkeep.
Victims who lost their homes have been left in limbo over their future, with plans to build low-cost apartments as their future homes still in the clouds.
Most of the displaced are now living at the Kertamukti I and II shelters, located a few hundred meters from the disaster site. Some live nearby in rented accommodation.
But those living in the shelters may soon be deprived again of a roof over their heads, after the local authorities outlined a deadline for their departure from the one-room blocks they have grown familiar with over the last few months.
Achmad Hadi, first assistant for the South Tangerang authorities, said that by July 27, the evacuees would no longer be allowed to stay at Kertamukti I and II.
"July 27 will see the end of the contract for the shelter," he said.
"We are currently looking for new locations."
He added hundreds of displaced families were still living at the Kertamukti I shelter, while 100 others were staying at Kertamukti II.
The regional authorities have made assurances that the families in shelters have no need to panic.
"We will not force them to out as soon as possible from the shelters," Achmad said.
"They will remain there until the regional authorities find them a new location, or until they find their own places to rent." (dis)
