PRR Task Force Affirms Driftwood in Aceh Can Be Utilised

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Aceh Regional Command Post for the Sumatra Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Acceleration Task Force (PRR), Safrizal Zakaria Ali, has stated that timber washed away by floods and landslides in Aceh can be utilised for various needs. The former Acting Governor of Aceh explained that up to 70 per cent of the timber swept away by the floods falls into the category of processed logs, which hold economic value. The remainder consists of timber categorised as debris, which has not yet been processed. “So, 70 per cent of the timber has already been processed. The logs with high economic value have been handled. Only 30 per cent remains, which roughly has the status of waste. However, it can still be utilised,” Safrizal said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. The statement was made in response to a question from North Aceh Deputy Regent Tarmizi, also known as Panyang, during a Recovery Evaluation Meeting on Post-Disaster Handling in Aceh held at the Aceh Governor’s Office multipurpose building on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by the Head of the Task Force, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, the Governor of Aceh, and regional heads across Aceh. Safrizal noted that the government could appoint parties to process these post-disaster logs. He invited regional heads to discuss the management plan for the remaining driftwood in more detail the following week. He has received information that there are parties willing to process the debris timber, which retains economic value, though this requires specific discussions with regents and mayors of the areas affected by the Sumatra hydrometeorological disaster. Beyond requiring letters from regents or mayors, the management of residual flood timber also necessitates assistance from the police and the prosecutor’s office to provide legal certainty during processing. The legal basis for this is regulated through the Decree of the Minister of Forestry Number 191 of 2026 concerning the Acceleration of Driftwood Utilisation due to Natural Disasters as a Material Resource for Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Under the regulation, the utilisation must be carried out in an integrated manner with provincial governments, district or city governments, and law enforcement agencies. Three key points govern the utilisation: it must be for the construction of public and social facilities for affected communities, the construction of housing for affected residents, and other uses supporting the rehabilitation and reconstruction process.