BNPB Disburses Rp500mn in Aid for Sigi Flood Victims

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has dispatched funding of Rp500 million as aid for victims of a flash flood in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi, on Saturday.

The aid was handed over by BNPB Chief Doni Monardo to Sigi District Head Mohammad Irwan Lappatta and was witnessed by Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola.

On the occasion, BNPB also distributed 200 kilograms of beef rendang donated by the West Sumatra government for victims of the flood in Bolapapu Village, Kulawi Sub-district, Sigi District.

The flash flood struck Hamlet III Pangana, Bolapapu Village, Kulawi Sub-district, Sigi District, on Thursday (Dec 12) at 6:30 p.m. local time. It claimed two lives -- a father and a son -- aged 50 and 10 respectively.

They were asleep when the flood struck and had no time to save themselves until the flood swept away their bodies.

No further report was received on the number of victims and houses damaged by the flood.

The agency has also handed over Rp2 billion of funding assistance for reforestation. The funding was sourced from the leftover foreign fund for tree seedling and planting.

"We hope that Rp2 billion of funding would be used for tree seedling," Monardo stated, adding that the fund will be utilized for the replanting of areas prone to landslide and floods in Central Sulawesi.

In the meantime, Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola confirmed that the government had mapped areas susceptible to landslides and flooding in the province.

Sigi District Head Mohammad Irwan Lapatta remarked that funding aid of Rp2 billion for conducting environmental rehabilitation in the province was in accordance with the district's program of Green Sigi.

The program necessitates each village to plant five thousand trees in their respective areas.

"Some villages have become our priority, such as those in the sub-districts of Dolo, South Dolo, Kulawi, South Kulawi, Palolo, and Pipikoro," he added. 

ANTARA