Post-Disaster Task Force Accelerates Rehabilitation of Ponds and Cages

The Post-Disaster Acceleration Task Force for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) in Sumatra is accelerating the economic recovery of communities by prioritising the rehabilitation of disaster-affected aquaculture ponds and floating cages in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Data from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) records a total affected pond area of 31,248.94 hectares across the three provinces. Aceh has the largest impact, at 30,417.17 hectares, followed by North Sumatra with 575.27 hectares, and West Sumatra with 255.90 hectares. Not only ponds, but 2,053 cage units were also affected by the disaster. The majority are in Aceh with 1,953 units, followed by West Sumatra with 60 units, and North Sumatra with 40 units. The scale of the impact positions the aquaculture sector as one of the main focuses in post-disaster recovery. This sector is considered the backbone of the economy, especially in coastal areas. Satgas PRR Chairman Muhammad Tito Karnavian stated that pond revitalisation has been included in the priority agenda for community economic recovery. “Some ponds were affected, such as shrimp and milkfish, particularly in coastal Aceh areas. They are currently being surveyed by the Minister of KKP, and after Eid, they will be directly inspected to accelerate handling,” Tito said in Jakarta on Wednesday (25/3). He emphasised that recovery of the aquaculture sector does not only focus on physical land repairs but also ensures that production activities and the community’s economic chain can resume. Previously, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono stated that his side has identified the affected aquaculture ponds and will soon implement rehabilitation steps. “Pond revitalisation is a priority so that aquaculture production can recover quickly and communities can resume their efforts,” Trenggono said. In the acceleration process, the government is also relying on by-name-by-address (BNBA) data collection from local governments. To date, most regencies/cities have submitted data, although some areas still need to speed up reporting so that the revitalisation process can be carried out optimally.