Indonesian Deputy Speaker urges budget reallocation for earthquake recovery in NTT

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Deputy Speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR), has called on the government to reallocate the state budget to aid recovery efforts following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) on Saturday, August 15.

Ahmad announced that the DPR leadership had dispatched a delegation, including the Finance Minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, and other relevant ministers, to NTT on Sunday, August 16. Their mission was to provide assistance and push for necessary budget reallocations. "The leadership of the DPR has also assigned several leaders and members of the DPR, along with the finance minister and several other relevant ministers, to depart for NTT, to then provide assistance and push for budget reallocation that is deemed necessary," Ahmad stated during a plenary session on Tuesday, August 18.

The DPR delegation's visit aimed to fulfill the legislative body's oversight function and encourage the government to take swift action in addressing the earthquake's impact. The provincial government of NTT has declared a 14-day state of emergency for the earthquake, effective from August 15 to August 28, 2026.

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The leadership of the DPR has also assigned several leaders and members of the DPR, along with the finance minister and several other relevant ministers, to depart for NTT, to then provide assistance and push for budget reallocation that is deemed necessary.

As of Monday, August 17, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that the earthquake had claimed 68 lives. The fatalities were distributed across several districts: Manggarai (26 deaths), Manggarai Timur (24 deaths), Nagekeo (eight deaths), Sikka (four deaths), and Ende, Manggarai Barat, and Ngada (two deaths each). In addition to the fatalities, 213 people sustained injuries.

The BNPB also recorded 1,576 aftershocks, with the largest reaching a magnitude of 6.2. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) noted that 54 of these aftershocks were felt by residents. Seismicity remains fluctuating, and a clear decay pattern has not yet emerged, with conditions expected to stabilize in the next two to three weeks.

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The DPR RI has sent its representatives on August 16 to NTT and has held coordination meetings with the government in order to carry out the oversight function and encourage the government to take steps deemed necessary to immediately handle the impact of the disaster.