Ministry to build tsunami escape buildings

DENPASAR (Antara): The Culture and Tourism Ministry will construct tsunami escape buildings in several coastal resort areas, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said Tuesday.

"The buildings will be built on beaches which can be used to evacuate tourists and locals in the event of tsunami," Jero said.

"Each building will have the capacity to accommodate 400 to 500 people."

Jero was speaking at the sidelines of a tsunami evacuation drill in Sanur Beach together with State Minister of Environment Rachmat Witoelar and State Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman.

The escape buildings will be constructed in Bali first then in Pangandaran Beach, West Java and later in West Sumatra. Each building needs a plot of land between 400 to 500 square meters to be provided by local regency or mayoralty administration.

A pilot project will be built in Nusa Dua area where Bali Tourism Development Company has provided a 500-square-meter plot of land. The escape building is to be completed next year.

Jero said escape buildings for other coastal areas would be built in stages depending on the availability of the ministry's budget while welcoming local administrations who wanted to build their own facilities with their own budget.

"This will accelerate the ministry's program to provide safe and secure feelings for holidaymakers," he said