Jakarta, Dec. 2 -- The Indonesian government is ready to allocate additional funds to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to support relief operations in northern Sumatra, which has been hit by severe floods and landslides.

"Whenever they need an additional budget, we are ready to disburse it," Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said on Monday evening.

He noted that BNPB still has enough funds to cover ongoing operations in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh. The agency currently holds more than Rp500 billion (about US$30.1 million) in available reserves.

Sadewa acknowledged that further funding may be required, given the scale of the disaster across the three provinces. He said the government has set aside state budge...