Jakarta, Jan. 19 -- The number of people displaced by floods and landslides in three Sumatran provinces last November has fallen to 135,696 as the government accelerates recovery measures, Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported.

"We have recorded a decline in the number of residents remaining in evacuation shelters, from 154,973 to 135,696," Head of BNPB's Center for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Abdul Muhari noted in a statement cited here on Monday.

He explained that the latest figure was largely driven by Aceh Tamiang District, where 19,988 people either returned home or moved into government-built temporary housing units, while Nagan Raya District recorded an increase of 711 evacuees.

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