Central Aceh Government Accelerates Relocation of Residents Around Sinkhole in Pondok Balik

The Central Aceh Regency Government is accelerating preparations for the relocation of residents of Pondok Balik village, Ketol district, who live around a sinkhole. The relocation to a safer area is targeted to be completed by the end of December 2026.

Central Aceh Deputy Regent Muchsin Hasan said the relocation is increasingly urgent because the sinkhole continues to expand and erode residential land. The condition is beginning to threaten a number of houses and causing concern among the community.

‘People today no longer dare to live there. This is part of a disaster,’ Muchsin said in a written statement on Thursday (20/8/2026).

The Central Aceh government is now coordinating with the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works to finalise the handling of the affected area. The preparations include options for land replacement and the construction of permanent housing for residents who must be relocated.

The proposed relocation site is said to be about 1 kilometre from Ketol village, near the border with Bener Meriah Regency. The Central Aceh government has also helped provide an alternative road to support community mobility during the handling process.

‘Thank God, today there is special handling from the Ministry of Public Works. Of course, later the matter of land replacement or the construction of permanent housing and so on will be part of our shared task. But at least we, the regional government, have also helped provide an alternative road for the community,’ Muchsin said.

The technical team from the Ministry of Public Works has gone directly to the field to conduct a study of the affected area and the planned relocation site.

The results of the study are needed to ensure that the handling and construction of housing for the community can be carried out in a safe area.

‘Currently there is technical handling from the Ministry of Public Works there, they are going down. Hopefully everything will be completed,’ Muchsin said.

The handling of the sinkhole and the relocation plan for Pondok Balik residents is part of the acceleration of post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction in Central Aceh.

The process is also a concern of the Chairman of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra, Muhammad Tito Karnavian.

‘God willing, together with the regional government ranks, we are making maximum efforts for rehabilitation and reconstruction. This of course follows the direction of the Chairman of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the Republic of Indonesia,’ he concluded.