Demak Flood Submerges 671 Hectares of Rice Fields, Legislator Urges Government to Accelerate Rehabilitation
Deputy Chairman of DPR RI Commission IV, Alex Indra Lukman, has warned the government against repeating delays in addressing flood impacts, as seen in West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh. This follows the hydro-meteorological disaster flood currently striking Demak Regency, Central Java.
“Delays and carelessness in diagnosing flood impacts will cause farmers even greater suffering. In addition to the impending crop failure, it will also prevent our farmers from quickly returning to cultivating their fields,” explained Alex Indra Lukman in a statement received on Wednesday (8/4).
It is known that this recurring flood in Demak was triggered by the breach of the Tuntang River embankment last weekend. The impact has submerged 671 hectares of rice fields. It has also flooded thousands of homes and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
“Rehabilitating flood-affected rice fields is not like general project work. That is, rehabilitating these rice fields will require a longer time in line with the complex technical execution,” elaborated Alex.
Alex’s assessment refers to the progress of rice field rehabilitation completed by the Satgas PRR (Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Post-Sumatra Disaster) as of 28 March 2026.
Of the total 42,702 hectares of rice fields targeted for rehabilitation in the three affected provinces, only 991 hectares have been successfully rehabilitated. That means only 2.32 percent. Meanwhile, 5,333 hectares are in the handling process.
This institution, established through Presidential Decree 1/2026 to lead rapid recovery from natural disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, has in detail rehabilitated only 42 hectares of rice fields out of 31,464 hectares targeted in Aceh.
Then, 170 hectares of rice fields in North Sumatra have been successfully rehabilitated out of the 7,336 hectares target. In West Sumatra, 779 hectares have been rehabilitated out of the 3,902 hectares target.
“We urge the government to immediately carry out acceleration efforts in this rice field rehabilitation. Amid uncertain global conditions, repairing flood-affected rice fields should be a priority that must be completed quickly,” stressed Alex.
This demand, Alex firmly stated, is because when rice fields are submerged, what is lost is not only the harvest but also the production capital already spent by farmers, irrecoverable working time, and shifted harvest opportunities without certainty.
In many cases, said the legislator from the West Sumatra I electoral district, the greatest burden from this flood actually emerges after the water recedes. Precisely when farmers have to start over from zero with increasingly thin economic resilience.
“Therefore, it is important for the government to ensure that handling does not stop at merely recording the affected land area,” explained Alex.
Alex assessed that what is more determining is whether the land can still be saved in the ongoing planting season.
“Then how the distribution of seed aid and production facilities is carried out, and to what extent agricultural insurance protection truly works in repeatedly vulnerable areas,” he said.
“Without a quick recovery scheme, production disruptions will more easily turn into price pressures that are ultimately felt by the wider community. There must be quick steps to address this,” Alex concluded.
As Chairman of the Commission IV DPR RI Working Committee on Land Use Conversion, Alex emphasised that farmers’ losses include wasted production capital and lost working time. He encouraged the government to immediately activate recovery schemes for hundreds of hectares of rice fields in Demak to avoid disrupting the national food supply chain.
“The flood in Demak is a direct disruption to food production stability, considering this area is an agricultural support in Central Java. The root problem is the lack of a production protection system capable of moving as quickly as the risks arrive,” concluded the Chairman of PDI Perjuangan West Sumatra.