Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Ministry has begun verifying the extent of damage in villages affected by the recent earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
“The Ministry’s team have been deployed to map out and inspect the damage, categorising affected areas into light, moderate, and severe damage,” Yandri Susanto as the minister said in a press release in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday.
Susanto would coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies in the near future, calling it crucial for outlining the division of responsibilities across government bodies.
Regarding the budget allocated for post-disaster recovery in NTT, he said the final figure is yet to be determined.
“For NTT, we are carefully compiling the data first to ensure there are no misallocations or miscalculations. The team is currently on the ground working on this,” he said.
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In addition to data collection in NTT, he mentioned the Ministry is also finalising recovery efforts in Sumatra, after devastating floods and landslides struck three provinces in the region in late 2025.
“We will upgrade existing village infrastructure. Essentially, facilities that fall under the Ministry’s purview will be rehabilitated and restored,” he said.
According to him, the data collection for North Sumatra, Aceh, and West Sumatra will be acted upon once the funding is disbursed.
He added that a first-stage budget proposal of Rp58 billion (approximately US$3.27 million) for North Sumatra and Aceh has been approved and is ready to be realised.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck NTT on Saturday (August 15) morning, leaving 127 people dead and 1,668 others injured as of September 1, according to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Related news: BNPB reports NTT quake evacuees decline as aftershocks begin to ease
Translator: Immanuel Citra, Raka Adji
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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