"Natural disasters are unpredictable and can happen anytime. Hence, we should plan for disaster mitigation and the ministry should plan post-disaster housing recovery measures," Director General of Housing of the ministry Khalawi Abdul Hamid stated in Jakarta, Thursday.
Hamid informed that the ministry will coordinate with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and regional governments of disaster-affected regions to accrue complete data of damaged houses prior to planning reconstruction after a disaster.
Swift and convenient data collection is essential for immediate house rebuilding efforts, he said.
Data on damaged houses in disaster-affected regions is important for planning reconstruction efforts and ensuring effective and proportional provision of reconstruction assistance, Hamid noted.
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"Most natural disasters affect the people's houses, and the data on damage to houses is important for us to plan the assistance allocation to be proportional with the house owners' needs," the director general affirmed.
To streamline data collection efforts, the ministry has also established an integrated housing information system called Sibaru (Housing Benefit Information System) and maintained its functionality despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The ministry accepts proposals for providing housing assistance from regional governments in the Sibaru system amid the COVID-19 pandemic," Hamid affirmed.
The Sibaru housing information system integrates existing information systems on housing hosted by the ministry. Regional governments and personal users could access information on flats, special houses, general and commercial houses, and housing renovation on the system.
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Translator: M Razi R, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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