While informing that the concrete process will be devised by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, the minister assured that the government will promptly disburse the funds for the reconstruction.
"The government will be prompt (in disbursing the funds) as long as the assessment of the location and land administration have been cleared. I think it would not take too much time as we had been successful while handling the (disaster in) Lumajang," Mahfud said during a visit to Cianjur Regional General Hospital here on Wednesday.
After the first responders complete their search for missing victims, the government's next task will be to ensure that residents return to their homes, he informed.
The coordinating minister also affirmed that he will seek redress on the issue of residents not being accommodated at refugee camps and forced to set up camp on their own.
"We will remain in the disaster response period for the upcoming days. It is understandable that in earlier days, some (residents) sought (assistance) on their own while we arranged the response. We also see that the cohesiveness between the government and residents is good," Mahfud remarked.
Earlier, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BKMG) reported that a 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted the southwestern part of Cianjur district, West Java, at 1:21 p.m. local time (UTC +7) on Monday.
As of 5 p.m. local time on Tuesday (November 22), the number of fatalities from the quake had reached 268. While 122 of the total victims had been identified, 151 remained missing.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed that as of Tuesday, the agency recorded minor damage at 6,570 houses, medium damage at 2,071 houses, and heavy damage at 12,640 houses due to the quake.
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Translator: Bagus Ahmad R, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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