Government Accelerates Post-Disaster Recovery in Sumatra, Prioritises Road and School Rehabilitation

The government is accelerating the rehabilitation and reconstruction process following disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, prioritising the development of permanent infrastructure, particularly roads, bridges, and educational facilities. This was conveyed by Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian after a meeting of the Steering Committee for the Sumatra Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Task Force, led by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno in Jakarta on Thursday. Tito stated that overall progress in the three affected provinces has been relatively good, with basic services such as governance, healthcare, markets, electricity, and fuel distribution already back in operation. He emphasised that the main priority going forward is making regional roads and bridges permanent, especially those that have not yet been addressed, with the work to be carried out either by local governments or taken over by the central government. While all affected national roads and bridges are now functional, several provincial and district roads still require further repair. Some previously repaired sections have suffered new damage due to ongoing rain in areas such as Central Tapanuli Regency, Agam Regency, and parts of Aceh. In the education sector, 4,922 schools were affected by the disasters across the three provinces. Although most have resumed teaching and learning activities, some are still operating in emergency buildings, using tents, or sharing facilities with other schools because their original buildings were severely damaged or completely lost to landslides and floods. Tito noted that only a small fraction of the affected schools remain in temporary locations, and the government, together with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, is working to restore normal activities quickly. Coordinating Minister Pratikno stressed that the government is not only focused on budget disbursement but also on ensuring that recovery programmes are implemented on the ground. He said supervision, monitoring, and coordination among ministries, agencies, and local governments are being strengthened to ensure effective rehabilitation and reconstruction without overlapping programmes. To support the accelerated recovery, the President has approved a total rehabilitation and reconstruction budget of Rp 100.1 trillion for Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra through to 2028, with Rp 38.9 trillion allocated for 2026.