Jakarta, Ekuatorial – Indonesia’s disaster management agency, or BNPB, predicted at least Rp 1.49 trillion (US$ 111 million) loss resulted from recent Sinabung mountain eruptions, says its head of data information and spokesperson, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, through an electronic message, on Sunday (14/6).
“No one knows for sure when Sinabung eruptions stop. Its impacts are also hard to be clarified because they [eruptions] are still going on. [However] from the latest calculation, lost and damage amounts to Rp 1.49 trillion between September 15, 2013 and last 2014,” said Nugroho.
The biggest loss hit agriculture, plantation, farming, trade, tourism, fisheries, small medium enterprise, and industry sectors which account for a total of Rp 896.64 billion (US$ 67 million) loss.
Furthermore, he added losses from housing sector Rp 501 billion (US$ 37 million), infrastructure Rp 23.65 billion (US$ 1.7 million), social Rp 53.43 billion (US$ 4 million), and other sectors Rp 18.03 billion (US$ 1.3 million).
“These loses did not include impacts from more than three million cubic meter of lava,” he said.
On Saturday (13/6), six eruptions were heard from the mountain resulted to at least 200 people evacuated from Sukanalu village, Karo district, North Sumatra. With additional refugees, BNPB recorded 2,785 villagers to flee from their homes in Guru Kinayan, Tiga Pancur, Pintu Besi, Sukanalu, and Berastepu villages by Sunday (14/6).
Nugroho said that the agency had set up rehabilitation and reconstruction plans post-disaster, especially for 2,053 people of Sinabung, coming from Sukameriah, Bekerah, Simacem, Kuta Tonggal, Berastepu, Gamber, and Kuta Tonggal, who are still living in temporary shelters since June 2014.
“We are speeding up the development. Limited lands make it hard to built relocation [areas],” he said. Ekuatorial.
