We will continue to strive until the mitigation (of the disaster) is complete.
Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA) - The Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has begun building supporting facilities and infrastructure for permanent housing in Talise, Palu city, Central Sulawesi province, for the 2018 earthquake, tsunami, and soil liquefaction victims.

"Infrastructure development is part of the post-earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction attempts in Palu, Sigi, Donggala, and Parigi Moutong," head of the Sub-Directorate for Region III of the Directorate for Residential Area Development of the ministry, Herman Tobo, said while delivering his remarks at the ground-breaking ceremony of the construction of the permanent housing here on Monday.

The construction of the new residential areas for the victims will start with the establishment of the supporting infrastructure, such as road, drainage, and green open spaces (RTH), he informed.

Meanwhile, permanent housing will be built later, after the establishment of the supporting infrastructure. Overall, 599 disaster-resilient, eco-friendly, inclusive, and sustainable houses will be built on an area of 46.83 hectares for the victims.

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Each house will have an area of 36 square meters and will be built using the Healthy Simple Instant Home (RISHA) technology, which is a modular housing system, the official informed.

The construction of the houses is being funded by the World Bank through the Central Sulawesi Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project (SCRRP), he said.

Tobo noted that that the continuation of the post-disaster mitigation attempts was in accordance with Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2022 concerning the completion of rehabilitation and reconstruction after earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction in Central Sulawesi province.

"The permanent housing built currently will become a new residential area with complete infrastructure -- one of which is a supporting community health center," he stated.

Governor of Central Sulawesi, Rusdy Mastura, said that the construction of the permanent housing reflects the government's commitment to protecting the survivors of the disaster, as some of them are still living in temporary shelters.

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"The central and regional governments, (we) continue to maintain our commitments to providing houses for residents affected by the disaster. We will continue to strive until the mitigation (of the disaster) is complete," he remarked.

An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude had struck Donggala district, Central Sulawesi province, on September 28, 2018, triggering a tsunami and soil liquefaction in a number of regions in the province, including Palu city, Donggala city, Sigi district, as well as Parigi Moutong district.

In response to the disaster, the PUPR Ministry had built 1,679 permanent houses in 2019. In 2022, the post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts will be continued with the construction of 4,089 permanent houses.


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Translator: Mohamad Ridwan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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