Aceh Flood Victims Still in Emergency Tents During Ramadan, Tito Expresses Concern

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has expressed his concern over the plight of disaster victims in Aceh who remain in evacuation tents at the start of Ramadan 2026 (1447 Hijriah).

This was revealed during Tito’s visit to disaster-affected areas in North Aceh and Pidie Jaya regencies to assess post-disaster recovery progress and preparations for the relocation of villages swept away by floods and landslides late last year.

“We have seen the progress and I am quite distressed to see evacuees still occupying emergency tents during this fasting month,” Tito told reporters on Saturday (21/2).

He urged the Public Works Ministry and other parties to expedite the construction of temporary housing (Huntara) so that victims still living in emergency tents can be relocated as soon as possible.

“We also need certainty on when it will be completed, so that these evacuees are no longer sleeping under emergency tents. It must not take much longer,” he said.

The latest data from the Aceh disaster emergency response command post, updated on Saturday (21/2) at 22:25 Western Indonesian Time, showed that 47,657 disaster victims remain displaced across 262 evacuation sites. The highest numbers are in North Aceh Regency with 19,248 people, followed by Aceh Tamiang with 6,052 and Central Aceh with 4,689.

Previously, Safrizal ZA, head of the task force for accelerating rehabilitation and reconstruction in the Aceh disaster zone, claimed that since mid-February 2026, some 6,211 temporary shelters had been constructed, though not yet comprehensively.

“Not all have been completed as verification is still ongoing,” Safrizal said when contacted for confirmation.