658 Mud-Free Locations, Cash for Work Becomes Part of Satgas PRR Strategy

The Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) Post-Disaster Sumatra is expediting the cleanup of mud in areas affected by hydrometeorological disasters in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. According to Satgas PRR data as of 27 April, 658 disaster-affected sites buried in mud have been successfully cleaned. The breakdown shows that in Aceh, 607 locations have been cleared out of 634 targeted sites. Meanwhile, in North Sumatra, nearly all targeted locations have been completed, with 22 sites cleaned out of 23 targets. In West Sumatra, all 29 targeted sites have been fully cleaned. This achievement demonstrates significant progress compared to 6 April 2026, when 527 locations had been cleared of mud. The Head of the Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Post-Disaster Sumatra, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, emphasised that mud cleanup remains a priority in post-disaster recovery in Sumatra. This process is inseparable from the collaborative efforts of Satgas PRR, involving personnel from across ministries and agencies as well as cadets from the Institute of Domestic Government (IPDN). Additionally, the cash-for-work scheme, or paid community labour, engages local residents with daily or monthly wages. “The issues in (Aceh) Tamiang are very severe. Schools are still in tents, and there are dozens of village offices that are destroyed. There are many unresolved mud problems. (However) we have cleaned all the offices with IPDN cadets, combined TNI/Polri forces. This is the third wave; the first wave 1,200, then 800, and now 800 more per month, including heavy equipment that I rented from the Ministry of Home Affairs,” Tito stated in his remarks on Monday (27/4/2026). He made these comments during the Working Meeting of APEKSI Regional Commissariat I in Banda Aceh City, Aceh, on Monday (20/4/2026). Tito revealed that the cleanup process is conducted in two stages. The first stage focused on opening access to national roads, which has been 100 percent completed and functionally passable since 25 January 2026. The second stage targets mud cleanup, focusing on three types of locations: schools, office areas, and public facilities such as health centres, mosques, and others. Tito stressed that mud cleanup is a crucial part of restoring affected areas to gradually return to normal. He noted that Satgas PRR has successfully restored various government facilities and public services that were previously paralysed due to mud burial, particularly in heavily impacted areas like Aceh Tamiang.