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akarta: The House of Representatives’ budget committee agreed on Wednesday to allocate additional funding for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in order to further help the victims of the Mount Merapi eruption.

“We have decided to allocate Rp 489.8 billion (US$53.88 million), with an additional Rp 100 billion on call, for [ongoing] reconstruction and rehabilitation in the areas around Mount Merapi,” the committee’s chairman, Melchias Marcus Mekeng, said during a meeting with Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo as quoted by kompas.com.

Agus said according to the 2011 revised state budget, the funds for disaster risk mitigation were Rp 4 trillion and, so far, the government has spent Rp 1.37 trillion, with reserves of Rp 2.63 trillion remaining.

Based on that equation, the Finance Ministry asked the budget committee to allocate a total of Rp 589,899 billion for the BNPB.

A series of disasters have struck the country over the past few years, including the recent collapse of the Kutai Kartanegara Bridge in East Kalimantan, killing at least 19 people, injuring 46 others and leaving 19 missing.