Govt Allocates US$280 Million in On-Call Fund for Disaster Recovery in NTT

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has set aside US$280 million, or around Rp5 trillion, in on-call funds to respond to a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara. These funds are meant to help the region recover quickly from the disaster.

Indonesia's Finance Minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, announced the news during a press conference following the commemoration of Indonesia's 81st Independence Day at the Ministry’s office on Monday, August 17, 2026. He stated that the government remains prepared to allocate additional funds should the region require them.

“The disaster fund is always on standby at Rp5 trillion. Some of it may have already been used for Aceh. But if it’s insufficient, we’ll add more depending on how much the BNPB requests,” Purbaya said.

In terms of procedure, the Ministry of Finance will follow up on the budget disbursement based on official requests from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Purbaya said the process of disbursing this disaster budget will certainly proceed quickly if the request is clear.

“They said they sent a letter yesterday. We’ll follow up quickly. Specifically for disasters like this, our SOP is to follow up quickly as long as the request is clear,” he said.

Besides the allocation from the Ministry of Finance, Purbaya said that the BNPB currently holds a reserve of Rp500 billion or around US$28 million in on-call funds. He noted that these funds are ready to be used at any time to support emergency response efforts at the disaster site.

He said, “Right now, the BNPB already has funds. Actually, they’re already ready, perhaps close to Rp500 billion.”