Jakarta. Early government estimates show that Indonesia will need to spend around Rp 51.82 trillion (approximately $3.1 billion) to recover the disaster-induced infrastructure damages in Sumatra island.

Aside from a climbing death toll, Indonesia now has to cope with the infrastructure losses that arise from the floods and landslides that have devastated Sumatra. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) estimated that the reconstruction could reach tens of trillions of rupiahs, with Aceh set to require the bigger share of funds.

“The damages on homes vary; some are serious and even get swept away by the floods. Others sustain minor damage. [The disaster] has dealt damage to bridges, places of worship, schools, hospitals, and even agricultural lands," BNPB’s chief Suharyanto said in an emergency response meeting with President Prabowo Subianto over the weekend.

BNPB had consulted with the Public Works Ministry to make the preliminary calculations. Estimates showed that the price tag to reconstruct the facilities in Aceh alone reaches Rp 25.41 trillion. West Sumatra has the next-largest costs at Rp 13.52 trillion, followed by North Sumatra at Rp 12.88 trillion. Suharyanto admitted that the data was still subject to change as the authorities continued to keep a tally of the wreckage.

The government will spend Rp 60 million to reconstruct each home. Rather than handing over cash aid, the government plans to directly build the housing unit to prevent any misuse. To make sure they remain on budget, the unit will be built over the same land as the house that was destroyed. In other words, the evacuees will not get relocated, according to Suharyanto.

Prabowo had greenlit the amount of the assistance, although he said that the government needed to consider the possible price hikes that may arise following the disaster.

As of Monday at 1.15 p.m., the Sumatra flood death toll climbed to 950. As many as 156,500 across Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra were destroyed, although the severity differs. The disaster also wrecked 1,200 public facilities, 435 bridges, 534 schools, and 420 places of worship.

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