PRR Task Force to Immediately Restore Fish Ponds, Economic Mainstay of Bireuen Residents

Bireuen Regency holds a strategic position on the northern coast of Aceh, with a coastline facing directly onto the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest international shipping lanes. This geographical condition makes the marine and fisheries sector one of the main pillars of the local community’s economy. As a coastal area reliant on the fisheries sector, the sustainability of fish pond activities is a crucial factor in maintaining the economic pulse of Bireuen’s people. This potential drew the attention of Team I of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) Sumatra, led by First Admiral TNI Nouldy Tangka, during a monitoring and evaluation visit to Bireuen Regency on Thursday, 9 July 2026. In addition to inspecting roads, rice fields, and dams, the team also viewed community fish ponds in Alue Kuta Village, Jangka District, which remain damaged due to the disaster. Monitoring results showed that several pond embankments were damaged, waterways were disrupted, and cultivation areas still required clearing before they could be optimally utilised again. Besides verifying the damage conditions in the field, the team also identified priority handling needs so that the rehabilitation process can be implemented immediately. “One of the urgent needs found was heavy equipment support in the form of an excavator to repair embankments, waterways, and to clean up the affected pond areas,” said Nouldy Tangka. Therefore, the Satgas PRR is pushing for accelerated coordination between the Bireuen Regency Government, the Marine and Fisheries Service, the Public Works and Spatial Planning Service, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and relevant ministries so that pond rehabilitation can proceed quickly and the community can resume cultivation activities. The attention to the fisheries sector is in line with the significant contribution of the marine sector to Bireuen Regency’s economy. Based on data from the Bireuen Regency Government, the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector is the largest contributor to the region’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP), with a share of roughly one-third of the regency’s total economy. Meanwhile, daily data from the Satgas PRR as of 12 July 2026 shows that Aceh is the region with the most extensive impact on the aquaculture sector. The affected pond area reached 30,417.17 hectares, or approximately 97 per cent of the total 31,248.34 hectares of affected ponds across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Additionally, 1,953 floating net cage units were affected in Aceh out of a total of 2,053 units in the three provinces. By-name by-address (BNBA) data collection has also verified 14,051 fish farmers in Aceh out of a total of 16,023 affected farmers. All 16 affected regencies/cities in Aceh have also submitted BNBA data to the central government. This data serves as the basis for preparing the fisheries sector rehabilitation and reconstruction programme, including financing support through the Additional Expenditure Budget (ABT) of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. “Therefore, accelerating pond rehabilitation is an important part of post-disaster recovery efforts. Besides repairing cultivation infrastructure, this step is expected to restore the productivity of the fisheries sector while accelerating the economic recovery of coastal communities,” wrote Nouldy Tangka in his report to Head of Satgas PRR Tito Karnavian.