World Bank Offers Assistance for Lombok, Palu Rehabilitation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The World Bank offered assistance for rehabilitation and reconstruction programs in areas in Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), as well as Palu and Donggala (Central Sulawesi), which were affected by earthquakes and a tsunami.

The offer was delivered by World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva to Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting in Nusa Dua, Wednesday.

"At today`s meeting, I reiterated that the World Bank and the entire international community stand together with the Indonesian government in the face of this tragedy," Georgieva said in a press release received by Antara, on Wednesday.

According to her, Indonesia is a tough and experienced country in managing disasters in the form of preparedness, financing and response.

The World Bank, as a long-term partner of the Indonesian government in the field of disaster management, is ready to increase its role to help Indonesia build resilience and maintain positive economic progress.

"I am pleased to offer our direct support to the Indonesian government. This support will be available on the request of the Indonesian government," Georgieva said.

The offer which is proposed by the World Bank included an additional social protection program to help people who are most affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi, as well as funding for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of community settlements and public infrastructure.

In addition, the World Bank also made an offer of assistance for rebuilding public facilities such as hospitals, schools, bridges, roads, water supply infrastructure, and strengthening monitoring and early warning systems.

The World Bank has completed an initial assessment of the damage caused by the earthquakes and tsunami in Palu and Donggala.

"This is the first input for the Indonesian government to support recovery and reconstruction planning," Georgieva said.

The purpose of the assessment is an initial estimate in setting up the reconstruction planning process by looking at the impact of damage based on the geographical approach.

Meanwhile, further sectorial impacts can be improved by using information collected from the field.

The World Bank`s productive partnership with Indonesia was established in 1954.

After the 2004 tsunami in Aceh, the World Bank and several global partners contributed to the recovery and reconstruction programs by establishing a Multi Donor Fund for Aceh and Nias (North Sumatra).

The fund of US$655 million was used to rebuild 20 thousand earthquake-resistant houses, 3,850 kilometers of roads, 1,500 kilometers of irrigation channels, 677 schools, 500 city halls, 72 clinics, 8,000 wells and clean water sources, and more than 1,200 sanitation systems.

ANTARA