PRR Task Force Inspects Huntara in Pidie Jaya with Social Affairs Minister and Aceh Deputy Governor

On Friday (6 March), Muhammad Tito Karnavian, the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) who also chairs the Percepatan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi (PRR) Task Force for the Sumatra Disaster Region, inspected the temporary shelter sites (huntara) in Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh. The inspection was conducted together with the Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf, and the Aceh Deputy Governor, Fadhlullah. The trio directly checked a number of facilities available in the huntara and engaged in dialogue with the evacuees currently occupying them.

Tito explained that the huntara in Pidie Jaya are categorised into four types based on the party constructing them. The four types are huntara built by BPI Danantara, BNPB, the Ministry of Public Works, and those built collaboratively by community organisations (ormas) and volunteers. Each type of huntara has different facility characteristics.

“For example, at BNPB there is no bed, but it has a kitchen and its own toilet. Then at Danantara it is almost the same as PU, where there are beds, the fans are cooler, more comfortable, but the kitchen and toilet and bathroom are communal,” he said in a written statement on Friday (6 March).

Although the facilities across huntara are not uniform, the government ensures that all evacuees receive decent and comfortable housing. The process of relocating evacuees from tents to huntara is being accelerated ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah.

The government also provides a housing waiting fund scheme (DTH) for evacuees who have not yet received permanent housing. This scheme acts as a bridge so that affected residents are not left in emergency tents for too long.

Of the three provinces affected by the disaster in the Sumatra region, only West Sumatra has successfully completed relocating all its evacuees from tents. Aceh and the other affected provinces are still in the process of finishing.

“This is our target with BNPB yesterday: all will be in huntara and for meals, BNPB will cover for the next 10 days. After that we will use the ‘uang lauk pauk’ (meal allowance), term known as ‘jadup’ from the Ministry of Social Affairs,” Tito added.

For information, the event was also attended by Pidie Jaya Regent Sibral Malasyi, the Director General of Bina Administrasi Kewilayahan Kemendagri Safrizal ZA, and several other relevant parties.