Press Release

OFID extends US$200,000 emergency grant to Indonesia to assist flood victims

16/2009 March 31, 2009 Vienna, Austria
Press inquiries:

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved a grant of US$200,000 to provide essential relief supplies and help finance emergency operations for victims of massive flooding caused by a burst dam in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Around 100 people have lost their lives, scores of people are missing and hundreds of homes have been destroyed.

On March 27, heavy rains obliterated a 255 m-long section of the dam, unleashing a torrent of water from the 20 hectare lake, which plowed into the densely-populated city. Floods from heavy rains are an annual occurrence in Jakarta, a low-lying city on the northern coast of Java Island. With problems of sanitation and a hot and humid climate, the risk of waterborne diseases is always a major concern, as is the threat of malaria.

The Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI), the Indonesian Red Cross, had played an active role in search and rescue activities that were coordinated with the Ministry of Health. Based on the latest reports, immediate needs include bottled water, hygiene kits, blankets, medicines, plastic sheets, rubber boats and sleeping mats. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is coordinating activities with its local partners to support emergency response efforts. The partners are the PMI, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other agencies assisting the government.

OFID’s grants will support the emergency operations being undertaken by the PMI. Also, the grant will be channeled through the IFRC.

 

Arabic version