Palu, Central Sulawesi (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has started to build 1,055 permanent houses for earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction survivors in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

The natural disasters struck the province on September 28, 2018.

"Placement of the first stone marks the start of construction," the ministry's director general of housing Iwan Suprijanto said here on Thursday.

He said the construction of temporary shelters was the central government's commitment to meeting the survivors' basic needs.

The construction work was carried out based on the extension of Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2022 on the completion of post-earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction rehabilitation and reconstruction in Central Sulawesi.

The residence is equipped with supporting facilities and infrastructure, such as environmental roads, environmental drainage, street lights, green open spaces, retaining walls, and retention ponds as well as the installation of gabions and raw water for households.

"The Tondo 2 permanent housing complex was built on an area of 65.31 hectares, with a plot area of 150 square meters," Suprijanto said.

He noted that the construction plan could only be realized in 2023 due to a number of issues, including that revolving around status of the land. The local government in 2022 addressed some of the issues pertaining to that land.

"As long as the land is ready, as in that there are no claims from the public or other groups, PUPR will quickly pursue it. Thank God, Palu City is safe, and we are attempting to complete work on the residential area this year," he added.

He said that his ministry has experience in establishing infrastructures that were developed following disasters, such as the one built after the eruption of Mount Semeru.

The ministry's directorate general of housing built two thousand housing units within 135 days, and following the Cianjur earthquake, they managed to complete the construction of 90 residential units within 30 days.

"Essentially, the land must be clear and clean. When these conditions have been met, construction will also proceed swiftly," he said.

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Translator: M Ridwan, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Anton Santoso
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