Jakarta (ANTARA) - A Finance Ministry’s official confirmed that the government has earmarked Rp5 trillion of the state budget for disaster mitigation across Indonesia in 2020.

"For 2020, we have prepared funding for disaster emergency, reaching some Rp4 trillion to Rp5 trillion," the ministry's Director General of Budget, Askolani, noted here on Thursday.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG); Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT); and the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) are the three agencies involved in the disbursal of funds.

Askolani noted that the funding can be utilized to facilitate recovery in regions, including Palu in Central Sulawesi and Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, hit by a strong earthquake earlier in 2019.

The funding will also be directed at edifying the public on disaster mitigation. "The people need to be well-informed on disaster mitigation, taking into account Indonesia's position that makes it prone to natural disasters," he stated.
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