Sigi, C Sulawesi, (ANTARA News) - Two state-owned lenders -- Bank Mandiri and Bank BNI -- will build temporary houses for 400 families displaced by the recent strong earthquake that hit Sigi District, Central Sulawesi Province, a government official stated.

Second Assistant Secretary of Sigi District Government Iskandar Nontji informed Antara here on Wednesday that the temporary houses for 100 families will be constructed by Bank Mandiri in the South Sibayala area of Dolo Sub-district.

Meanwhile, Bank BNI will erect the temporary shelters for 300 families in Jonoge Village of Sigi Biromaru Sub-district that severely suffered from soil liquefaction during the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that rocked the area on Sept 28, he noted.

The temporary houses will be constructed on pieces of land, owned by the sub-district government, village, and community members, he stated, adding that the Sigi district government will facilitate all related parties to sign a letter of agreement.

"We are going to provide a letter of agreement that will be signed by all related parties to avoid any unexpected eventuality in the future," he explained.

The temporary houses will also be erected in several other sub-districts after the district government received a confirmation on the safety of locations that will be selected for constructing the housing from credible bodies, he noted.

In Sigi District, the earthquake destroyed and damaged some 10 thousand houses spread across 13 of the 15 sub-districts.

Since Indonesia lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, which is also known as the Ring of Fire, it is vulnerable to earthquakes as a result of tectonic plates that meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

In August and September, a series of deadly earthquakes hit the Indonesian island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara Province as well as the city of Palu and districts of Donggala and Sigi, Central Sulawesi Province, leaving several thousand people dead.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Central Sulawesi Province suffered material losses of at least Rp10 trillion owing to the disaster.

The central government, as revealed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, has set a target to complete the rehabilitation and recovery endeavors within two years.

Reporting by Anas Masa
Editing by Rahmad Nasution

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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