Baznas Distributes Zakat Fitrah Aid to Tidal Flood-Affected Areas in Bekasi
Jakarta – The National Zakat Agency (Baznas) of the Republic of Indonesia has distributed zakat fitrah rice assistance to residents affected by tidal flooding in the coastal areas of Pondok Dua and Muara Beting, Muara Gembong District, Bekasi Regency, West Java.
Baznas distributed a total of 200 packages of zakat fitrah rice, each weighing 5 kg, with 100 packages allocated to each location.
Saidah Sakwan, Head of Baznas RI’s Distribution and Empowerment Division, stated in Jakarta on Monday that this distribution represents Baznas’s commitment to ensuring zakat fitrah donations from donors reach those most in need (mustahik), particularly in remote areas.
“Baznas seeks to be present amongst communities facing hardship, namely the prolonged impact of tidal flooding and economic challenges during Ramadan. We hope this zakat fitrah rice assistance can ease the food burden on families, enabling residents to undertake fasting worship more peacefully despite their difficult circumstances,” she said.
Conditions at the distribution sites were reported to be concerning. Watiah, a resident of Pantai Harapan Jaya Village, disclosed that her village has been isolated by tidal flooding for nearly three months.
“Because of the tidal flooding for almost three months, my feet even got infected with water parasites, and no aid reached us during that time. Alhamdulillah, today we received zakat fitrah rice assistance from Baznas. In our current situation, we desperately need this help,” Watiah said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Tambrun (65), a small-scale fisherman living in a modest shelter with his wife who suffers from a brain tumour. With irregular earnings ranging from 30,000–50,000 rupiah per fishing trip, the assistance holds significant value for him.
“Usually that money goes towards buying rice. Alhamdulillah, with Baznas’s assistance, I feel greatly helped,” he said.
The impact of tidal flooding was further emphasised by Nursan, a fisherman from the Bahagia Berkarya Kelompok (Kebaya) cooperative. He explained that flooding entering residents’ homes has paralysed the coastal community’s economic activities.
“Fishermen cannot focus on fishing because they are dealing with home repairs, compounded by dangerous westerly winds that make fishing impossible. When there’s no fishing, there’s no income. This rice assistance at least lightens the burden for residents here,” Nursan explained.