Ministry of Public Works accelerates repair of disaster-affected irrigation in Sumatra

The handling of irrigation networks is being carried out in accordance with the division of authority between the central government and regional governments.

Jakarta (ANTARA) — The Ministry of Public Works (PU) continues to accelerate the repair of irrigation networks, both through emergency response activities and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of irrigation networks affected by disasters in the Sumatra region.

“The Ministry of Public Works continues to speed up the repair of irrigation networks through emergency response activities as well as rehabilitation and reconstruction of disaster-affected irrigation networks in Sumatra, in order to restore irrigation services and support the continuity of the community’s farming activities,” said Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo to ANTARA in Jakarta on Thursday.

Dody said the handling of irrigation networks is carried out according to the division of authority between the central and regional governments.

For Irrigation Areas (DI) under central government authority, 31 irrigation areas have been recorded as disaster-affected. He explained that, based on the Ministry of Public Works’ Disaster Response System (Sitaba) data as of 21 July, 12 irrigation areas have been fully handled, five are undergoing rehabilitation, and the remainder will be dealt with in stages.

Meanwhile, Dody said, 65 irrigation areas under regional authority have been recorded as disaster-affected. To date, according to Sitaba data as of 21 July, two irrigation areas have been fully handled, whilst 63 are still in the process of being dealt with.

“The government, through the Ministry of Public Works, continues to accelerate the implementation of post-disaster infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra,” he said.

According to him, the work is being carried out based on the 2026-2028 Sumatra Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Master Plan, applying the principle of build back better — that is, rebuilding infrastructure that is safer, more robust, and more resilient to disasters.

Dody said that at present, some activities have entered the rehabilitation and reconstruction implementation stage, whilst other works are still in the preparation phase, including the completion of technical documents, procurement, and contractual processes.

The Ministry of Public Works continues to push for acceleration so that all programmes can run according to target and deliver benefits to affected communities.