Ensure Accelerated Post-Disaster Recovery in Pidie Jaya, Tito: There Have Been Many Changes
Pidie Jaya, VIVA – The Minister of Home Affairs, who also serves as the Head of the Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (PRR) Task Force for Sumatra, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, visited Pidie Jaya Regency in Aceh to oversee accelerated recovery and the distribution of aid to affected communities.
Tito stressed that since the disaster occurred at the end of November 2025, the central government together with local administrations have mobilised a range of resources to address the impacts. At the time, vital infrastructure such as roads, bridges, electricity, and communications networks were disrupted. After nearly three months of recovery, conditions in various areas, including Pidie Jaya, are beginning to return to normal.
In essence, over roughly the past two to three months, there have been many changes. The national roads are passable, electricity has returned, internet connectivity is back, and perhaps fuel is available. I vividly recall in Pidie Jaya that the petrol stations (SPBU) were crowded with queues, with some even closed. Now I see it has returned to normal, at the Grand Mosque Tgk Chik Pante Geulima, Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh, on Friday (6 March 2026).
Nevertheless, Tito emphasised that there are still a number of tasks to be completed, particularly mud clearance resulting from floods, sediment management in rivers, and repairs to damaged bridges and roads.
Beyond infrastructure, the government has given special attention to the handling of refugees. The PRR Task Force aims to ensure that all refugees are no longer living in tents before Eid al-Fitr.
Specifically for refugees, we are targeting that before Idul Fitri no refugees should be in tents. Yesterday we held a full meeting; the outcome was that all should be in temporary housing (huntara), or they should be provided with a Housing Waiting Fund (Dana Tunggu Hunian).
The government is also distributing various forms of assistance to affected communities, including daily living expenses, household furnishings, and economic assistance for entitled parties. Tito added that Pidie Jaya Regency was one of the areas receiving a large share of the initial aid because the local government was able to prepare recipient data quickly and comprehensively.
In fact, the operation was rolled out across all districts (52) in three provinces, with Pidie Jaya receiving the largest share of the initial aid. Why the largest? Because the regent was able to provide the most complete data first. Thank you, Mr. Regent.