"We already have an agreement to relocate 300 families," Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, informed on Thursday.
According to him, the relocation of the 300 families would be handled directly by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR). Meanwhile, small-scale relocations will be handled by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
BNPB will immediately collect data on affected settlements by name by address. After receiving confirmed data, the central government, together with regional governments, will determine the rehabilitation and reconstruction measures, he said.
"If it is deemed safe, we can continue to repair lightly damaged settlements. For moderate to heavy damage, we will prepare the financing scheme or the relocation," Effendy added.
Meanwhile, secretary general of the PUPR Ministry, Mohammad Zainal Fatah, said that he has prepared a scenario for the relocation locations, including Manado and North Minahasa, based on recommendations from the provincial government.
"By God willing, we can do it as we were previously assigned to Lumajang, with two thousand houses completed in four to five months," Fatah added.
He expressed the hope that the certainty of relocation would reduce the anxiety of disaster victims.
"We hope they can live a more decent life as soon as possible," he added.
On April 30, 2024, Mount Ruang erupted, spewing volcanic ash up to five kilometers (km) in height from its crater, with a gray ash column heading toward the east and south.
The Volcanological Survey of Indonesia (PVMBG) raised Mount Ruang's status from Level III (Alert) to Level IV (Caution) the same day.
On Thursday, BNPB said it is targeting to evacuate all residents affected by the Mount Ruang eruption to a safe place within the next three days.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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