President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo has ordered a complete relocation of residents of Banjarnegara, Central Java, who suffered the brunt of a recent major landslide, and those living in vulnerable areas
resident Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has ordered a complete relocation of residents of Banjarnegara, Central Java, who suffered the brunt of a recent major landslide, and those living in vulnerable areas.
'The President instructed that the victims of the natural disaster, comprising 43 families in Karangkobar district and 42 in Wanayasa, be relocated,' Syamsul Maarif, the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said after a meeting at the Presidential office in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The BNPB and several experts, including those from the Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University (UGM), have surveyed several potential locations to relocate the victims.
Syamsul said construction of the new settlement area was expected to cost about Rp 5 billion (US$394,635) and construction of infrastructure, such as roads, drainage systems, irrigation systems and river repair would total Rp 25 billion.
On the same occasion, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Mursyidan Baldan explained that the victims would be relocated permanently, far from their previous homes and safe from natural disasters.
Ferry said it would be a complete relocation, in which the government prepared, among others, the land, economic programs for settlers and education.
A major landslide hit Banjarnegara on Dec. 12, burying more than 100 people and displacing around 200 others.
The search for victims has been ongoing since Saturday. As of Wednesday, 82 bodies had been found, with 26 still missing. More than 1,700 military, police and search-and-rescue personnel, supported by more than 2,300 volunteers, have been deployed to search for victims and clear debris.
One volunteer was killed in an accident Tuesday evening when an excavator toppled on slippery soil and hit three volunteers.
Despite the incident and uncertain weather, Banjarnegara Deputy Regent Hadi Supeno was optimistic.
'We had to stop work several times due to heavy rain, but we always continue,' Hadi said.
In addition to the hundreds displaced by the landslide, more than 1,000 residents living around the affected areas have also taken refuge under threat of further landslides. The BNPB recorded a total of 1,308 people currently taking shelter in 10 refugee locations.
Some volunteers, including several college students from Bandung, have focused their work on relieving stress with a fun competition.
'This event is held for children and mothers. We hope to give them some entertainment to alleviate the stress of living in a refugee camp,' Irianti, one of the students, told The Jakarta Post.
Banjarnegara, home to around 1.2 million people, is one of many regencies vulnerable to landslides in Java. Of all of the regency's 20 districts, only three are deemed safe from landslides.
At least 400 people in the regency have been buried alive in landslides over the past 10 years.
' Ina Parlina contributed to this report from Jakarta.
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