Makassar, South Sulawesi (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno handed over assistance totaling Rp14.4 billion, or around US$888 thousand, aimed at disaster mitigation in South Sulawesi Province.
The assistance provided to South Sulawesi was in the form of goods and funds for emergency response operations. In a statement from the provincial government on Friday, Minister Pratikno remarked that while the assistance may seem modest, it is expected to serve as an adequate initial measure for emergency response.
"We held a coordination meeting for natural disaster mitigation. As explained by the head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), we do face a significant risk of disasters due to high rainfall, so we must prepare accordingly," he said.
The minister noted that potential disasters resulting from heavy rainfall include landslides and floods, as well as high waves that fishermen should be cautious of.
"We, along with the South Sulawesi Provincial Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), the district heads, and mayors, have prepared everything so that disaster impacts can be reduced to the minimum," Pratikno explained.
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The minister affirmed that his side had arranged the supporting infrastructure and personnel in addition to community involvement.
"There was also assistance from the central government, in this case, BMKG, to the local governments," he added.
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Meanwhile, acting Governor of South Sulawesi Zudan Arif Fakrulloh expressed his gratitude for the assistance.
"We will follow up on the results of the meeting and start mitigating disaster risks. In the past six months, I have urged 24 regional heads, chiefs of regional disaster mitigation agencies (BPBD), and social service heads to be on standby, as instructed by the head of BMKG," Fakrulloh stated.
