Follow-up Floods Sever Roads and Bridges in Sumatra, Tito: We Must Work Hard Again
Floods and landslides are once again threatening Aceh Province. The cause is not far from the high rainfall that has occurred in the region over the past week. In a report received by Muhammad Tito Karnavian, Chairman of the Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) Post-Sumatra Disaster, one of the areas affected again is Central Aceh Regency.
Several points have been hit by floodwaters that disrupt public transportation access. Moreover, silting has occurred in almost all rivers in Central Aceh, which is a remnant of the flood in November 2025, further worsening the current situation.
The road section in Kenawat Village, Lut Tawar Subdistrict, as well as the Enang-Enang Bypass Road via Weh Porak connecting Takengon to Bireuen, for example, have been cut off due to flooding on 11 April 2026. A similar incident occurred in Ketol Subdistrict, where two emergency bridges were damaged; the Bergang emergency bridge was washed away, while the Berawang Gajah emergency bridge collapsed.
Residential areas, main roads, and primary school buildings were also affected by floods in Atu Lintang Village and Bintang Kekelip Village, Atu Lintang Subdistrict. In addition, one road point was reported to have experienced a landslide in Jamur Konyel Village, Bintang Subdistrict.
This follow-up disaster must certainly be responded to with swift action. Because Aceh was only recently hit by a fairly large frequency event at the end of November 2025. The presence of Satgas PRR is key in handling it amid the public’s distressed condition. “We must work hard again,” Tito said to the Satgas PRR staff. Indicating that as Chairman, he does not want to give up and will continue to work hard.
Under Tito’s command, who also serves as Minister of Home Affairs, cleaning of the road access that was cut off in Jamur Konyel Village is now continuously being carried out. Satgas PRR has also installed a Bailey bridge to replace the severely damaged Bergang emergency bridge, in order to restore public connectivity.
Overall handling will also be carried out massively. Through the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), heavy equipment will be immediately deployed so that on-site handling can be accelerated and obstacles can be quickly removed.
At the same time, the Ministry of Public Works is conducting an inventory of affected water resource infrastructure. This serves as the basis for Satgas to push for accelerated repairs to damaged facilities and infrastructure.
It does not stop there; monitoring of the disaster site situation continues to be carried out. In fact, Satgas PRR plans to implement Weather Modification Operations (OMC), an effort to divert rain-bearing clouds, so that the intensity of rainfall can be controlled and no longer become a recurring threat.
Moreover, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued a letter to the Aceh Governor regarding the potential for heavy rain in 23 regencies from 11 to 20 April 2026. This certainly serves as an alarm for all parties, both Satgas PRR and local government, to prepare immediately so that events like those at the end of last year do not recur.
The establishment of Satgas PRR through Presidential Decree of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 2026 is a visionary step. With this special task force, the government has the strength to carry out rapid responses in facing conditions such as high rainfall and the potential for follow-up floods in the Sumatra region.