PKB Encourages The Government Not To Use The State Budget To Handling The Impact Of The Cianjur Earthquake

Situasi di RSUD Sayang Cianjur pada Senin 21 November usai gempa M 5,6. (Antara-Raisan Al Farisi)

Member of Commission V DPR from the PKB faction, Neng Eem Marhamah Zulfa, asked the government not to hesitate to use the APBN to handle the impact of the earthquake in Cianjur, West Java. According to him, the APBD will not be able to solve the problems faced after the disaster.

"I am sure that with the large number of damaged infrastructures, both owned by residents and public facilities, buildings and so on, I am sure that the APBD will not be able to do so, the central APBN must intervene so that the community can return to normal," he told VOI, Tuesday, November 22. The legislator for the Cianjur and Bogor electoral districts said, until last night at 20.00 WIB there were around 2,300 houses destroyed. From his direct monitoring at the location, he believes that the data on the damage to damaged houses will increase more today. "Yesterday until 20.00 there were more 2,300 houses, all of which have not been recorded, surely today there will be more," said Neng Eem. Therefore, he asked the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) to immediately carry out recovery related to public facilities and damaged houses so that they can be used again.

"We have conveyed and asked that disaster recovery related to infrastructure can be considered, assisted for Cianjur Regency, especially a lot of houses collapsed," he said. Neng Eem also urged the Ministry of PUPR to find earthquake-resistant construction technology to anticipate the destruction of buildings due to large shocks. The reason is, reflecting on yesterday's earthquake almost all of the hundreds of victims died due to falling soil and buildings. "We will encourage PUPR to find earthquake-resistant construction technology, especially for buildings, if there is no minimal minimization," said Neng Eem. Secretary of the PKB faction at the MPR, said personally that he had communicated with the Ministry of PUPR and Basarnas to immediately send aid to the disaster site. Currently, Neng Eem is still directly monitoring the assistance and evacuation developments in Cianjur.

"We have indeed asked the Ministry of PUPR when we were in Jakarta to Cianjur to also coordinate, call Basarnas to lower heavy equipment. Thank God we immediately went down in the afternoon, we are already at the location where the excavator has dropped, only heavy equipment has not yet," said Neng Eem. The member of the Commission in partnership with the Ministry of PUPR, BMKG and Basarnas said that the route leading to Cianjur can be passed. It's just that, there are still a lot of trucks carrying landslides and buildings due to the earthquake.

"Then the Minister also followed the evening. Thank God, today it has been opened and can transport the land, the Puncak route, Cipanas to Cianjur can be passed, only disturbed by the truck carrying the rest of the avalanche, like that," he said.

Based on the latest data received by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the number of victims who died as of Tuesday, November 22, reached 103 people. The majority of residents died from collapsed buildings when the incident occurred.

As many as 25 people are still reported missing. The search is still ongoing today.

Meanwhile, 377 people were injured in Cianjur Regency, 1 person was injured in Bandung Regency, 1 person was seriously injured and 9 people were slightly injured in Sukabumi Regency, and 2 people were slightly injured in Bogor Regency.

"Residents displaced increased to 7,060 people spread over several points. In addition, 8 families were displaced in Sukabumi Regency and 4 people were displaced in Bogor Regency," explained the Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari.

Regarding infrastructure damage, there were 3,075 houses that were lightly damaged, 33 houses were moderately damaged, and 59 houses were heavily damaged.