Many Residents of Aceh Tamiang Still Living in Tents, Construction of Temporary Housing Accelerated
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, has set a target to accelerate the construction of temporary housing for affected residents in Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh Province.
This aims to ensure that all refugees currently living in tents can move into the housing before Eid.
This was conveyed by Dody during a gathering and suhoor (pre-dawn meal) with residents of Tamiang 2 Temporary Housing, Wednesday (25/2/2026).
“There have been complaints, and some residents are still in tents and have requested an acceleration. God willing, we will try to achieve this before Eid. There are four locations in Tamiang that have been requested from the Ministry of Public Works for construction. We will try to expedite the process and complete it before Eid,” said Dody, Wednesday (25/2/2026).
At the Tamiang 2 Temporary Housing location, 13 blocks have been built, with an additional seven blocks under construction, bringing the total to 20 blocks.
Overall, in Aceh Province, the Ministry of Public Works has built 102 temporary housing blocks, capable of accommodating approximately 1,204 families.
This number is still dynamic as there are additional proposals from local governments through coordination with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
Dody emphasized that the determination of temporary housing occupants is the responsibility of the local government, while the Ministry of Public Works is responsible for the construction of the housing and its supporting facilities.
“The Ministry of Public Works is only tasked with building the housing units and all the facilities within them, including water, electricity connections, and so on,” he added.
He said that all refugees will gradually occupy the temporary housing according to the direction of President Prabowo Subianto, although the process depends on the readiness of the land and the stages of construction.
To strengthen basic services, the Ministry of Public Works is currently also repairing and improving the capacity of the Drinking Water Supply System (SPAM) in Karangbaru through the construction of a water treatment installation with a capacity of 2 x 50 liters per second.
“Regarding clean water, we are currently repairing the SPAM in Karangbaru. Hopefully, in 2 to 3 months it will be completed and we can immediately distribute it to Tamiang 2 Temporary Housing and several other places, including supplying the hospital,” said Dody.
He said that residents have been living in the temporary housing for about two weeks and have felt relatively comfortable, although there are still challenges related to water quality and waste collection.
“We hope that the water can be cleaner and the waste can be collected more regularly,” said Indra.
Through this activity, the Ministry of Public Works ensures that the acceleration of temporary housing construction is in line with the strengthening of basic services.
Thus, affected communities can spend Ramadan more peacefully while waiting for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of permanent housing.