Govt to ready 2,700 homes for Mt. Lewotobi victims

id Mount Lewotobi,eruption,housing,evacuees

Govt to ready 2,700 homes for Mt. Lewotobi victims

Menteri Koordinator Bidang Pembangunan Manusia dan Kebudayaan (Menko PMK) Pratikno (kiri) dan Menteri Perumahan dan Kawasan Pemukiman Maruarar Sirait (kanan) saat memberikan keterangan pers perihal penanganan pengungsi Gunung Lewotobi di Jakarta, Rabu (20/11/2024). ANTARA/Asep Firmansyah/am.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Housing and Settlements Minister Maruarar Sirait has announced that the government will prepare around 2,700 permanent houses for those affected by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara.

After a ministerial meeting here on Wednesday, he said that the construction of the permanent housing will be carried out if several aspects such as forestry permits, infrastructure, security, and geology are completely discussed and mapped.

According to him, the construction of permanent housing will take about 5.5 months. The government is currently mapping locations for the housing.

Baca juga: Govt asks operators to provide free Internet for Mt. Lewotobi victims

Sirait affirmed that the preparation of construction raw materials will maximize the resources available around the community in East Flores. Thus, it will also create jobs for the local communities and survivors.

He said that the process of relocating survivors to new housing will involve a dialogue-based approach. The community will be invited to discuss whether they are willing to be relocated to a new place or if there are other options they wish to explore.

Baca juga: Logistics for Lewotobi victims sufficient for 2 weeks: minister

"It is not only relocating houses but also lives. Some have lived there for tens of years," the minister explained.

He assured that the dialogue on relocation would be carried out repeatedly to ensure that there were no cases of residents refusing to live in the new houses due to a lack of discussion.