Ministerial Decree provides legal basis for using driftwood to support post-disaster recovery
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Home Affairs, who also serves as the Chairman of the Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (PRR) for post-disaster areas in Sumatra, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, stated that the issuance of the Minister of Forestry’s decree opens up opportunities for utilising driftwood to accelerate the rehabilitation of affected areas.
Minister Tito Karnavian, in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday, mentioned that the Minister of Forestry’s Decree Number 191 of 2026 provides a strong and clear legal basis, ensuring that wood carried by floods can be optimally utilised to support the reconstruction of infrastructure and community housing.
“In Aceh, there is a vast amount of it. It’s like an ocean. An ocean of what? Wood. So, if you want to make firewood, it’s easy,” he said.
Piles of logs carried by floods can still be found in Aceh.
Some of the wood can be processed into logs for planks and construction materials, while wood that cannot be processed into building materials can be used for other needs.
“The wood can be used or given to regents/mayors in coordination with the governor. I have conveyed this to the Minister of Forestry during the meeting yesterday. The Minister of Forestry has issued the decree,” he said.
On Tuesday (December 24), the Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, issued the Minister of Forestry’s Decree Number 191 of 2026 concerning the Acceleration of the Utilisation of Driftwood Resulting from Natural Disasters as a Material Resource for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction after Natural Disasters in Aceh Province, North Sumatra Province, and West Sumatra Province.
The Minister of Forestry’s decree details the types of wood that can be utilised, including roundwood or wood debris resulting from natural disasters.
With this legal basis, driftwood can be used for the construction of public facilities and social facilities for affected communities, the construction of housing for affected communities, and other uses to support the acceleration of rehabilitation and reconstruction according to needs.
The utilisation of the wood will be carried out by regents and mayors in coordination with the governor. To ensure that the wood scattered in disaster locations is utilised appropriately, regents and/or mayors must report their activities to the governor, with a copy sent to the Chairman of the PRR Task Force in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.