E Java gov't prepares land to relocate disaster-impacted residents

Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - The East Java provincial government has prepared an area for relocation of residents affected by the soil movement disaster in Pacitan some days back.

East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa said cracks developed on the floors and walls of hundreds of houses as well as roads as a result of the natural disaster in Pacitan.

"Yesterday, I visited the location of the relocation area in Sukorejo Village, Sudimoro Sub-district, Pacitan," Parawansa said in a statement  here, Saturday.

Accompanied by Pacitan District head, Indrata Nur Bayuaji, the governor directly inspected the land area spanning 3.6 hectares of the Pacitan District Government's assets that are planned to be used for relocation.

Parawansa affirmed that her side will allocate an unexpected budget of Rp50 million for each housing unit. A similar budget has also been allocated by the East Java provincial government to prepare for the relocation of disaster-affected residents in the districts of Trenggalek and Blitar.

"If it is possible, the district government and the community can help to provide additional assistance for the victims. It will be very good," she stated.

She noted that the provincial government and Pacitan district government were striving to prepare the best steps, in the form of relocation, for affected residents. However, this step can run smoothly if the community agrees to be relocated.

"One solution to provide safe housing is through permanent housing, as long as the community agrees. The land is available and can be prepared for permanent residential buildings," Parawansa remarked.

She emphasized that the relocation option could bring safety to the community to avoid the same incident from recurring in future.

Temporary data shows 36 households from the villages of Sukorejo, Keanggung, and Karangmulyo in Sudimoro Sub-district were eligible to receive housing assistance. However, the data has not been finalized, depending on their agreement to be relocated to the predetermined place.

Furthermore, the governor reminded all parties to conduct mitigation efforts and reactivate disaster mitigation task forces in each city, district, sub-district, and village to anticipate extreme weather projected to last until early next year. (*)