Flood Disaster Survivor Utilises Salvaged Wood to Build Boats

Aceh Tamiang, Aceh—Muktar Sulaiman, a flood disaster survivor from Sekumur village in Aceh Tamiang district, is utilising salvaged flood timber to construct boats in order to support activities on the river.

“This large piece of wood happened to get caught in front of my house during the flood, so I decided to use it to make a boat,” said Muktar Sulaiman when interviewed in Sekumur village on Tuesday.

The flood-salvaged timber used to construct the boat is galum wood (locally called “suling air” wood) approximately ten metres in length with a diameter exceeding one metre.

Muktar explained that boat-building is not new to his family. Since his youth, before marriage, he has been constructing boats, continuing the craft practised by his late father.

Before the November 2025 flood disaster, Muktar had already owned four non-motorised boats. Two boats are stored at his home, whilst the other two are moored at the riverbank and can be used by local residents.

Muktar explained that constructing one boat requires approximately twenty days of work. He plans to sell his handmade boats for Rp4 million per unit.

However, if a boat does not sell, it will be used to support the needs of local residents, like his other boats.

“So I just keep them at the riverside—anyone can use them for fishing, helping people who are swept away, and other purposes,” he said.

Muktar added that boat-building is not his primary livelihood; farming is his main occupation. However, his agricultural land used for growing durian, duku, and palm trees was damaged by the flood, so the land still needs to be prepared again for cultivation.

“After Eid I can clean up the land. For now, I want to finish the boat first,” he said.