Gov’t Conducts Emergency Responses in Disaster-hit Provinces

Photo taken from pu.go.id

In a bid to follow up President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s orders, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing provided emergency response assistance to quake-struck region in West Sulawesi and flood-struck region in South Kalimantan.

Last week, a 6.2 Magnitude earthquake struck Majene Regency and its surrounding areas, in West Sulawesi, while in South Kalimantan, floods struck the City of Banjarmasin, Regencies of Banjarbaru, Banjar, Tanah Laut, Balangan, and Hulu Sungai Selatan.

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono called for a swift response and joint efforts between the Government, private sector, and the people in disaster relief measures.

“We asked contractors working on infrastructure projects in those provinces to help the emergency responses, for example to clear debris in West Sulawesi and to transport aids and rubber lifeboats to evacuate flood victims in South Kalimantan,” he said on Sunday (17/1).

To date, the Ministry has deployed heavy equipment to clear quake debris in hardest-hit areas in Mamuju and Majene Regencies, as well as deployed rubber lifeboats to evacuate flood victims in South Kalimantan. In addition, the Ministry also provided clean water and sanitary facilities for those affected by the disasters.

To recover interregional connectivity, the Ministry also rehabilitated damaged bridges and created temporary one for bridges collapsed as the impact of floodwater in South Kalimantan.

Besides Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, several other government institutions and ministries also provided disaster reliefs and emergency responses. For example, Ministry of Social Affairs provided aids to the victims, Ministry of Health provided medical treatment to the victims, and Ministry of Communication and Informatics ensured telecommunications service is available in disaster-hit regions.

In the meantime, President Jokowi ensured that he will monitor the updates of disaster-hit regions and urged the public to remind calm and follow instructions given by local authorities.

“I call on the public to raise awareness of risks of extreme weather including an increase in rainfall intensity and to always pay attention to early warnings issued by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG),” he said. (MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS AND PUBLIC HOUSING/BPMI/UN) (RAS/MUR)