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Disaster funds 'enough through year-end': Govt
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An evacuee rests at a Mount Agung evacuation post at Lembar Port, as officers register residents of Bali who fled to West Lombok on Nov. 29. (JP/Panca Nugraha)
T
he Finance Ministry has made assurances that the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has enough funds for immediate disbursement to manage the natural disasters that have recently affected several regions across the country.
"We transferred Rp 750 billion (US$52.5 million) in emergency funds to BNPB in October. The BNPB head has said the fund is enough until the year-end," the Finance Ministry's budget director general, Askolani, told reporters on Thursday.
The ministry has disbursed nearly Rp 1.5 trillion in emergency funds to the BNPB this year. The initial amount of Rp 700 billion was transferred earlier this year, which the agency used to manage several disasters, including the Mount Sinabung eruption in North Sumatra.
The government has also allocated Rp 1.5 trillion to Rp 2 trillion in rehabilitation and reconstruction funds for regions that had suffered natural disasters three years ago. The fund would be transferred directly to local administrations to aid in their efforts to rebuild affected infrastructure, Askolani said.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati asserted that the state funds would support affected regions in accordance with prevailing laws.
"As for Bali, we are still monitoring [the disaster] and working with related ministries and institutions and local administration to mitigate and minimize impacts to its economy, communities and tourism," she said.
The ongoing eruption of Bali's Mount Agung has affected thousands of people near the volcano, while Tropical Cyclone Cempaka has hit central, eastern and southern areas of Java. (bbn)
