PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said in a statement on Friday that the government’s priority for post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction was the relocation of residents’ settlements.
His ministry will make sure that the materials for building 100 simple and healthy instant house (RISHA) units will be brought immediately to Natuna District from the Public Works and Spatial Planning Office of Palembang City, South Sumatra Province.
The RISHA units would be constructed as permanent houses for the communities on a landslide-safe relocation area prepared by the Natuna District Government, the minister said.
He estimated that construction of the houses could be completed within three months, since the establishment of RISHA units applied a quick assembly technology.
The construction of houses, for which special earthquake-resistant building technology is applied, is targeted to be completed at the end of June 2023.
The permanent housing area will be equipped with clean water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and a small mosque.
The local government has planned to relocate over 100 families living within the landslide-prone areas in accordance with recommendations from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
The ministry’s Director General of Housing Iwan Suprijanto noted that two RISHA units had been completed, while only the foundation has been built for the other 53 RISHA units.
In addition, one unit had its sloof, or the wall foundation beams made from reinforced concrete, wood, or steel, and light steel frame, installed, while another one unit already had its brick walls built.
Before implementing the post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction program, the PUPR Ministry also assisted in the disaster emergency response attempts.
The ministry deployed several heavy equipment to facilitate the evacuation process as well as clean the landslide debris that buried the settlements and closed road access.
The disaster claimed over 50 lives.
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