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s many as 50 families who were evacuated from their homes after Mount Sinabung'€™s eruption in Karo regency, North Sumatra, have occupied government-built relocation accommodation in the Siosar forested area of Merek district, Karo regency.

They expressed their happiness at being given new homes that were located far from the volcano, but complained about a lack of farmland in the area.

Teguh Ati Ginting, 45, of Bekerah village, said the house he had received was very good and the surrounding forest was pleasant, but the mother of three claimed her family could do little at the new location, while adding that the government had promised to provide each family with a hectare of farmland.

'€œWe'€™re happy to live here, but how can we earn a living without farms?'€ Ati told The Jakarta Post as she entered her new 36-square-meter (sqm) home on Tuesday.

Each of the homes is equipped with a 7 sqm backyard, a 4 sqm front yard and 2 meters of land on each side.

Another house recipient, Mula Ginting, expressed hope that the government would not forget about the evacuees who had received the houses.

'€œWe still need aid, especially to put our children in school, because we haven'€™t been working since our farms were damaged by pyroclastic flows,'€ said Mula, whose two children were still attending junior and senior high schools.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said the government would be responsible for the lack of infrastructure, roads and farmland.

Siti added the government would deal with all the issues so the evacuees living at the relocation site would feel comfortable and dignified.

'€œThe government will not abandon residents in trouble,'€ said Siti in her speech during a ceremony to mark the hand over of the houses in Siosar.

Siti symbolically handed a house key to evacuee representative Gemuk Sembiring. Of the 103 homes built in Siosar, only 50 have been completely built and given to evacuees from Bekerah village. The remaining homes have yet to be completed and will be handed out in the next stage.

Siti also advised the occupants to protect the surrounding forests.

'€œWe live in a forested area, so don'€™t just disturb the forest, benefit well from it and preserve it,'€ said Siti.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency head Syamsul Maarif said 369 Mt. Sinabung evacuee families would be relocated to Siosar, adding that 103 families hailed from Bekerah village, 135 families from Sukameriah village and 131 families from Simacem village.

He expected that the other houses would be completed soon so they could be occupied by evacuees who had yet to receive homes.

Asked whether additional homes would be built for evacuees outside the villages of Bekerah, Sukameriah and Simacem, Syamsul said it would depend on the situation.

'€œIf Mt. Sinabung continues to erupt, the second relocation stage will be carried out for other evacuees,'€ said Syamsul. Based on data at the Karo administration, 1,970 families have been listed to be relocated from villages located in a radius of five kilometers from the volcano.