So residents no longer have to live in tents because there have been many reports of residents getting sick.
Cianjur, West Java (ANTARA) - The government of Cianjur district, West Java, has asked residents living in evacuation tents to move into temporary housing on the sites of their collapsed homes with government assistance.

Currently, the government, together with the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), National Police (Polri), and humanitarian organizations, is still clearing the debris of residents' houses that collapsed in the earthquake, Cianjur district head Herman Suherman said. After that, temporary housing will be built while waiting for the houses to be reconstructed.

"So residents no longer have to live in tents because there have been many reports of residents getting sick. We are building temporary houses on residents' land that is clear of debris, so they can wait for the construction of their houses," Suherman informed in Cianjur on Wednesday.

For temporary housing, the local government will provide the materials needed, while construction will be handed over to the residents so they can determine the layout for their house, he added.

Therefore, mutual cooperation among residents is needed to speed up the construction of temporary shelters. This also aims to reduce the number of residents living in evacuation tents and help them return to normal activities, Suherman said.

"The sooner the better. We hope residents can return to their neighborhood and their activities, including economic activities to carry out the recovery immediately," he added.

Earthquake victims who are still staying at evacuation posts have expressed the hope that the government will help clear the debris from their collapsed houses by providing heavy equipment. Without heavy equipment, the clearing process will take a long time.

"How can we go home and set up a temporary shelter? We can only use the land of our former house where there is still a lot of debris that must be cleared up. If we have support from heavy equipment, it will certainly be faster and make it easier for us," one of the refugees in Benjod village, Arifin, said.

Arifin and hundreds of other refugees hope to get out of the tents that they have been living in for quite some time as the health of many residents has been affected. They said they hope the housing data collection will be completed soon and they will receive money for house repairs.

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Translator: Ahmad Fikri, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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