Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla estimates work to construct permanent houses for earthquake victims in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, to be completed this year, a delay from earlier target following issue in producing material components.

The production capacity was earlier only sufficient for 70 earthquake-resistant houses per day, while the daily demand is 400 houses.

"I have instructed to achieve the target of 450 (houses per day). Now, it (the production component) reaches 350 per day. Hence, we hope the permanent houses would be ready this year despite a delay in West Nusa Tenggara," Kalla noted here Tuesday.

The Lombok earthquake victims need at least 30 thousand permanent and earthquake-resistant houses, he estimated.

The victims must not wait too long to be able to get a permanent settlement, he noted.

The government has set a target of building 58 thousand houses expected to be ready in April 2019. Some 73 thousand homes were seriously damaged by the Lombok earthquake last August.

At least 1,523 additional personnel from the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, military, police, and local community, have been deployed to help speed up the construction work.

The construction work is being conducted with assistance from several organizations, such as Kadin, REI, Gapensi, and Gapeksindo.

Three powerful earthquakes rocked Lombok and Sumbawa Islands in West Nusa Tenggara respectively on July 29, August 5, and August 9, 2018.

The powerful magnitude-7 earthquake on Aug 5 devastated 75 percent of the buildings in North Lombok District.

The death toll on Lombok Island reached 555. More than 1,300 people were injured, and nearly 353 thousand were internally displaced. Damage and losses are currently estimated at Rp7.7 trillion ($528 million).

Reporting by Fransiska N, fardah

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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