Months after the major floods hit Batu Sumbang village, Simpang\nJernih sub-district, East Aceh regency, some residents still live in\nevacuation tents. Others have been forced to live in their homes,\ndespite the unsuitable conditions. Most houses are surrounded by mud\ndeposits that are higher than the yards, causing water to frequently\nenter during rain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house is basically on the ground now (lower because of the\nsediment around it), it was cleaned yesterday. Because this person (the\nhomeowner) couldn\u2019t stand staying in the tent (due to the heat), so they\nlive in the house. When it rains, it\u2019s like that. It\u2019s like scooping\nwater from inside the house,\u201d said Rabuna, a resident of Batu Sumbang,\nto detikX.<\/p>\n
Rabuna said that this year\u2019s Ramadan is a difficult time for\nresidents who are still living in evacuation shelters. Some residents\nhave been forced to build their own temporary shelters. Of the\napproximately 130 families in Batu Sumbang, the majority of homes were\naffected and are uninhabitable.<\/p>\n
The temporary housing promised by the government is also not yet\nready. Residents have been hoping to move out of the tents for a long\ntime. Initially, the government promised to build a large number of\ntemporary housing units. However, only a few have been started and are\nnot yet ready for occupancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday, the government said 95 units, 95 doors for our village.\nBut it turned out that there was a reduction, but there was no clear\nexplanation. So, the residents were already hoping (to move to the\ntemporary housing). Some residents are still living in evacuation\ntents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The floods also damaged educational facilities. To date, the\nelementary school in the village has not fully recovered. As a result,\nstudents have been forced to learn in limited conditions. In addition,\nhealth facilities have also been affected. The community health centre\nbuilding was severely damaged and cannot be used. Currently, a temporary\ncommunity health centre is provided for health needs. Sanitation is also\nlimited. To date, residents only have a few public toilets that were\nbuilt by volunteers.<\/p>\n
Residents also complained about the slow assessment of the damage by\nthe government. The team only arrived when some residents had already\ncleaned their own homes. As a result, some residents have not received\nassistance for home repairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically, the assessment of the houses (affected by the disaster)\nby the BNPB (National Disaster Management Agency) only started after\nalmost two months. The houses are already occupied by the owners, they\nhave been cleaned. That\u2019s why many residents\u2019 houses were not included\nin the data (regarding the extent of the damage). Because the houses\nhave been cleaned and repaired by the residents, then the people came to\nassess them. Where were they before?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To date, residents are still waiting for the promised assistance in\nthe form of food supplies, funds for home repairs, and the construction\nof temporary housing. He hopes that the government will immediately\nfulfill the promise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask our brothers and sisters, the volunteers, if there are any\nwho would like to donate to our area. Because in this holy month of\nRamadan, the food supplies in our village are running low,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A group of students are playing in the backyard of the Harapan Ne-Ate\nearly childhood education centre, which was damaged by the flash flood\nin Gampong (Village) Pante Kera, East Aceh, Wednesday (11\/2\/2026).<\/p>\n
Photo: Harits Naufal Arrazie\/detikX Contributor<\/p>\n
Elsewhere. Almost three months after the floods hit Aceh Tamiang\nregency, the situation in several areas is still not considered to have\nrecovered. In Landuh village, Rantau sub-district, mud is still piling\nup in residents\u2019 houses, access to clean water is not yet available, and\nsome residents are still staying in emergency tents.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, the condition in Aceh Tamiang is still far from recovery.\nEspecially in my area, in Landuh village, many residents are still\nliving in emergency tents,\u201d said Intan Kumalasari, a resident of Landuh\nvillage and also a teacher at SMKN 2 Karang Baru, to detikX.<\/p>\n
According to Intan, many residents\u2019 houses are still covered in mud.\nHowever, there has been no assistance from the government to remove the\nsediment. Residents also said they had difficulty cleaning independently\ndue to limited equipment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no effort to clean the houses from the government at all.\nIf there is any, it is done privately by people who have money. But, if\nit is done by the government, door to door, to the houses, there is\nnone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In addition, some locations are still difficult to access due to the\nhigh mud deposits. The sediment also makes the roads very slippery and\ndifficult to pass. Conversely, when the sun is shining, the mud deposits\nturn into thick dust that is easily blown by the wind. This condition is\nsaid to make residents experience shortness of breath and respiratory\ninfections.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, when I go outside, I wear a helmet, a mask, and my chest\nfeels tight because the dust is super thick, super abundant,\u201d she\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In addition to housing, according to Intan, the most pressing problem\nfor the residents of her village at this time is clean water. To date,\nthe PDAM (Public Water Company) service has not been restored. During\nthe disaster, many water pipes were damaged and have not been repaired.\nSo far, residents have only relied on assistance from private companies\nand donors, which is limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of the pipes are broken and the repairs have not been\ncompleted. When I asked, \u2018When will the PDAM water supply be restored?\u2019\nThey couldn\u2019t answer. It is likely to be completed after Eid,\u201d said\nIntan.<\/p>\n
According to Intan, this year\u2019s Ramadan also feels different for the\nresidents of Landuh village. The smooth running of worship is somewhat\ndisrupted because many mosques are damaged. In addition, the atmosphere\nof the village has also changed drastically.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany residents have not returned to their homes. Many are still in\nevacuation shelters, in rented houses, in relatives\u2019 houses. So this\nvillage looks more deserted than before the flood,\u201d said Intan.<\/p>\n
Loss of Livelihood<\/p>\n
In another place. Habib Muhammad Isa, 70 years old, lives in his\nhouse in Blang Panjoe village, Kutablang sub-district, Bireuen regency,\nAceh. The house is now habitable again. Previously, the house was\nuninhabitable. The mud that entered has been removed. However, for\nHabib, cleaning the house is not enough.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ramadan-amid-sumatras-ecological-catastrophe-1771945405", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }