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OGYAKARTA: Last year’s Mount Merapi eruptions that killed around 300 people and displaced thousands took place more than a year ago but delays in the disbursement of relief funds have impeded rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

“We are still awaiting the disbursement of the rehabilitation and reconstruction funds from the central government, which are expected to amount to Rp 538 billion [US$60 million],” Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said.

The Yogyakarta administration, according to the governor, has carried out five points of rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, which include infrastructure, housing, social, economy and inter-related sectors.

He said houses had been built for 146 displaced families, while another 400 families were still waiting to be located to permanent homes because the efforts to build houses for those families were still in the land acquisition phase, with funding allocated from the provincial budget and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

“We have initiated rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts with funding from charities,” Sultan said.