Housing Minister targets permanent housing for Sumatra disaster victims by June

Minister of Housing and Settlement (PKP) Maruarar Sirait aims to begin procurement of permanent housing for Sumatra disaster victims from early June this year. ‘Coordination has been conducted and several cooperation options discussed, including with LKPP (Government Procurement Policy Agency), the attorney general’s office, and the police to ensure good governance. It is hoped that by June 1 or 2, 2026, the procurement process will proceed smoothly,’ said Maruarar, also known as Ara, in a statement on Tuesday in Jakarta. He stated that as the ministry responsible for providing decent housing, the PKP Ministry continues to strengthen coordination with other ministries/agencies, local governments, and all stakeholders to accelerate the construction of permanent housing for disaster-affected victims. Currently, 2,603 units are being processed, with several hundred already handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs two months ago. In the near future, additional units will be delivered to communities in Aceh and North Sumatra, supported by the Tzu Chi Foundation and local governments. The House of Representatives (DPR RI) and government have agreed on a three-phase approach to post-disaster management: emergency response, transition to recovery, and rehabilitation and reconstruction. Medium to long-term priorities include resolving permanent housing and community relocation, providing temporary housing, rehabilitating public infrastructure and connectivity, flood control and physical mitigation, as well as optimising local government budget management. Meanwhile, DPR RI Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad emphasised the importance of accelerating cross-sectoral decisions in disaster handling and affected area recovery.