ADB approves $297mln loan for tsunami-struck Central Sulawesi

ADB approves $297mln loan for tsunami-struck Central Sulawesi
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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $297.75 million loan to the Indonesian government to aid in reconstruction work in Central Sulawesi, devastated by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake last year.

Part of the financial package will be applied to construction, rehabilitation, and upgrading of education and water supply facilities, while the balance will assist with the rehabilitation and reconstruction of airport and port infrastructure.

Vijay Padmanabhan, director of ADB’s Urban Development and Water Division for Southeast Asia, said “the loans will help the government implement its master plan for rehabilitation and recovery following build-back-better principles”.

The September 2018 Central Sulawesi earthquake affected more than 1.4 million people. Official figures put the number of people killed at 2,081, with 4,438 injured and more than 200,000 displaced. More than 1,300 people were reported missing.

The shallow earthquake was followed by a tsunami causing extensive damage to housing and infrastructure such as water supply, irrigation, roads, bridges, etc. The estimated economic cost of the disaster is put at some $1.7 billion.

A $297 mln loan from the ADB will help rebuild tsunami struck Central Sulawesi
A $297 mln loan from the ADB will help rebuild tsunami-struck Central Sulawesi VOA

The new financing has two components, one of which is in line with higher disaster resilience standards that will help the government construct, rehabilitate, and upgrade education and water supply facilities, including water treatment and distribution.

The other will assist in the rehabilitation of ports in Pantoloan, Donggala, and Wani resulting in improved operating capacity and support the establishment of their respective emergency response plans (ERPs).

Furthermore, the loan will finance the repair and reconstruction of the Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport in Palu and improve water infrastructure by rebuilding the Gumbasa irrigation system.

Additional work will see the PASIGALA raw water supply system upgraded, and the installation of hydrometeorological instruments for managing water flows across the river basin to prevent further erosion and tidal flooding.

The latest loan follows $500 million in emergency assistance provided by the ADB in November 2018 to support the Indonesian government’s immediate and near-term recovery activities in Lombok and Central Sulawesi, and a grant of $3 million to support disaster victims financed by the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF) in October 2018.

 

Feature photo VOA

 

Related:

  • Mission accomplished: Singapore DHL DRT volunteers end Sulawesi deployment (video) (AEC News Today)
  • New ADB Loans to Help Rebuild Critical Infrastructure in Central Sulawesi (Relief Web)
  • Turkish charity sends aid to Indonesia disaster victims (Anadolu Agency)
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Justhine De Guzman Uy completed a Bachelor of Arts Major in Mass Communication at New Era University, Quezon City, the Philippines in 2016

After graduation she worked at the Philippine Broadcasting Service performing transcription and business news writing, before moving to Eagle Broadcasting Corporation where she worked as a news editor, translator and production assistant.

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