Jakarta ( WNAM MONITORING): 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.
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.
“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.
