Indonesia: Post-flood recovery in Bima may take three years

Panca Nugraha The Jakarta Post 8 Jan 17;

The process of rehabilitation and reconstruction following a series of flash floods that hit Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, late last year is predicted to take up to three years given the widespread impacts of the disaster.

The estimation was made during a meeting to compose a rehabilitation and reconstruction plan of action. The meeting involved the National Development Planning Agency’s (Bappenas) director for villages, transmigration and disadvantaged regions, Sumedi Andono Mulyo, the agency’s land and spatial planning director, Uke M. Hussein, and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB) deputy chairman for rehabilitation and reconstruction, Hermansyah, at the Bima mayor's office on Friday.

Led by Bima deputy mayor Rahman H. Abidin, the meeting was also attended by head of River Management Agency (BWS) Nusa Tenggara 1 Asdin Julaidy, head of the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) chapter of the National Road Agency Nikmatullah and NTB Public Works Agency head Wedha Magma Ardi, as well as members of the Bima joint disaster mitigation team.

“In the meeting, it was predicted that the Bima post-flooding rehabilitation and reconstruction process could take up to 36 months or around three years,” Bima administration protocol and human relations head Syahrial Nuryaddin said in a press statement on Friday.

Citing directives of two Bappenas officials attending the meeting, Syahrial said the first stage of the rehabilitation and reconstruction process, which could last between two and six months, will be focused on improving sociocultural and economic conditions as well as preparing the revisions of spatial planning and the master plan of Bima city.

Meanwhile, the second stage, planned to span between six and 12 months, will develop basic facilities as well as economic, transportation and communication facilities.

“The third stage, with a time schedule of three to 36 months, is for the restructuring of houses and settlement compounds, the rehabilitation of upstream areas and the restructuring of river basin areas,” said Syahrial. (ebf)