PRR Task Force Urges Accelerated Occupancy of Huntara as Tent Refugees Become Priority Ahead of Eid al-Fitr
Idul Fitri 1447 Hijriah is two weeks away. Flood-affected residents in Sumatra hope to celebrate the holiday with family in safe and decent housing, not in tent shelters. The Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Acceleration Task Force (Satgas PRR) and the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, continue to push for accelerated readiness of huntara to be habitable. He wants thousands of families who lost homes to flood to be occupying huntara before Eid al-Fitr (Lebaran).
‘We hope to finish as soon as possible before Idul Fitri,’ Tito said on Sunday, 1 March 2026.
As Satgas, Tito also urged the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) to promptly disburse living allowances to affected communities, both in huntara and in shelters, to ease their Eid burden.
In Aceh, the huntara drive continues, reaching 9,694 units out of a total target of 17,642 as of 3 March 2026. Of that number, 6,311 units had already been occupied by refugees in tents.
Among the 12 districts in Aceh where huntara were built, four areas—Pidie, Nagan Raya, Lhokseumawe, and Aceh Barat—recorded 100 percent occupancy, indicating residents have shifted from tents to more decent housing.
Meanwhile, the largest number of huntara units under construction is in Aceh Utara, with a total of 3,105 units. Although the largest number, occupancy currently stands at around 570 units, so placement of the remaining 2,535 units will continue.
In North Sumatra, of the 926 huntara units completed, 485 are already occupied. The province targets 1,023 units to provide safe housing for refugees.
The highest occupancy rate was recorded in Tapanuli Utara, with 143 of 155 units (about 95 percent). In contrast, the lowest rate was in Tapanuli Selatan, where 304 of 716 units (about 41 percent) are filled.
The highest occupancy is in West Sumatra, where all 732 huntara units have been occupied by refugees, spread across six districts: Agam, Lima Puluh Kota, Padang Pariaman, Tanah Datar, Pesisir Selatan and Padang city. Thus, no refugees remain in tents in West Sumatra ahead of Idul Fitri.
Overall, 11,351 huntara units had been completed in the three affected provinces as of 3 March 2026. Of these, 7,528 units were occupied, leaving 3,823 uninhabited. A data update on 5 March 2026 indicated the number of completed huntara had risen by 12,563 units.
Safrizal ZA, head of the Aceh Regional Task Force and Director General of Regional Administration at the Ministry of Home Affairs, has continued to strengthen coordination with local governments to move refugees into huntara. He asked governors to prepare communities to occupy huntara in line with data that has been verified and compiled beforehand.
‘Within the next two weeks we are pushing for completion,’ he told Tempo on Tuesday, 4 March 2026.
Safrizal explained that some huntara remain unfilled because certain locations are physically complete but clean water and sanitation facilities are still being installed. This causes a slight delay in occupancy. ‘We are coordinating closely with PICs at the district/c city level and developers to monitor the progress of huntara development,’ he said.
Separately, Abdul Muhari, head of the BNPB’s Data Information and Disaster Communication Centre, said the occupancy process takes time because relocation requires mobilising people and moving belongings from their previous homes to the huntara. Some huntara units await electricity connections from PLN.
‘Huntara that have been completed are immediately occupied by those still displaced,’ he said.
BNPB field teams continue to verify refugee data on the ground to ensure the proposed number of huntara from local governments matches the number of refugees expected to occupy them.
‘Local government data is crucial because the needs assessment for huntara and the number of recipient households come from local authorities,’ he noted.
Accelerating huntara construction in the three provinces significantly reduces the number of refugees in tents. Initially 2,178,269 people were recorded as displaced; by 3 March 2026 the number had sharply fallen to 6,873 people. Aceh Utara Regency currently has the highest number of tent-displaced people in Aceh (4,385). In North Sumatra, the highest figure is 472 in Tapanuli Selatan.
Not only huntara, the PRR Task Force is committed to accelerating recovery by ensuring all indicators—from governance to basic public services, road connectivity, economic activity and basic needs—are addressed. The effort is being pursued through intensive coordination with ministries/agencies and local governments. (*)