Humbang Hasundutan Strengthens Disaster Mitigation, Prepares Command Posts and Water Tankers

The Humbang Hasundutan Regency Government has begun preparing a disaster mitigation system through institutional strengthening, emergency response facilities, and readiness for the dry season, which is expected to be influenced by the El Niño phenomenon. This step was formulated following assistance from the Directorate General of Regional Financial Development at the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Task Force for the Acceleration of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) regarding the utilisation of Additional Regional Transfers (TKD) for the 2026 Fiscal Year, held at the Regent’s Office on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. National Media Coordinator for the Satgas PRR Command Post, Kastorius Sinaga, stated that regional governments need to begin activating disaster alert posts as coordination centres to face potential hydrometeorological disasters, including the threat of drought and forest and land fires during the dry season. “The Home Affairs Minister (Tito Karnavian) has requested that command posts be activated in every regency for upcoming disaster mitigation. As we know, there will be impacts from El Niño, forest and land fires, and others,” said Kastorius. According to him, the posts will not only function during a disaster but also serve as centres for information coordination, monitoring, and accelerating handling should emergency conditions recur. On 29 June 2026, Home Affairs Minister Tito stated that based on BMKG forecasts, Indonesia will enter an El Niño period. “The negative impacts include water shortages and the potential for forest and land fires,” he said. The effects of El Niño are expected to be felt from July to October 2026. Therefore, he urged regional governments to immediately activate task forces and strengthen cross-sector coordination. “Please form ground task forces in each regency, city, and province; those already in existence should be maximally activated,” said Tito. “Also involve village heads to prevent fires from occurring, and if they do arise, they can be handled immediately.” In line with this directive, the Humbang Hasundutan Regency Government is preparing a mitigation programme involving various regional apparatus organisations. The Head of the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of Humbang Hasundutan Regency, Pahala H. L. Lumban Gaol, stated that mitigation strengthening will be carried out across sectors to make regional preparedness more integrated. He confirmed that the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) will immediately draft disaster management regulations, while the regional apparatus handling fires will strengthen the firefighting fleet as an anticipatory measure against potential forest and land fires. The regency government is also planning to procure new ambulances to replace several heavily damaged vehicles so that emergency services can operate more optimally during a disaster. Furthermore, the Humbang Hasundutan Regency Government is developing a disaster impact data collection application to accelerate the identification and reporting process should a disaster occur in the future. “We are also building an application for disaster impact data collection, so that if a disaster occurs in the future, we can carry out fast and accurate data collection,” said Pahala. Anticipating potential drought due to El Niño, the regional government is also planning to procure water tanker trucks. “So that when there is a water shortage, we can distribute water to drought-affected areas,” he said. Strengthening the disaster communication system is also part of the plan. The Head of the Communication and Informatics Office of Humbang Hasundutan Regency, Adrianus Mahulae, said the regional government is preparing the development of an integrated information control centre to support disaster management coordination and public services. “Because we do not yet have a Command Centre, it must be prepared immediately,” said Adrianus. In addition, the regional government is also planning the construction of a telecommunications tower in Tarabintang District to strengthen the communication network, especially during emergency conditions.