PRR Task Force Urges River Embankment Reinforcement After Central Tapanuli Floods

High-intensity rain that fell across Central Tapanuli Regency on Saturday (18/7) caused flooding in several areas, particularly in Tukka District. The flooding was triggered by heavy rainfall lasting more than an hour and a half, causing river water levels to rise and overflow into residential areas. The overflowing rivers also carried sediment that blocked water flow at several points, including a bridge access point that serves as a vital link for community activities.

Although the floodwaters have gradually receded and emergency response was carried out swiftly, the Post-Disaster Accelerated Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Task Force (Satgas PRR) for Sumatra believes permanent mitigation measures must be prepared immediately to prevent similar incidents from recurring. The North Sumatra Regional Coordinator for the PRR Task Force, Brigadier General TNI Fadjar Tjahjono, explained that emergency handling was conducted rapidly through collaboration between the local government, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and various related elements. Sediment that had accumulated around the bridge was promptly cleared using heavy equipment, restoring public access.

“The mitigation step we must take is to strengthen the embankments along the river flow. The removed sediment should not just be piled back up; the embankments need to be reinforced with stone or gabions so that when the water discharge increases, mud does not re-enter the settlements,” Fadjar stated in a written release in Jakarta on Monday (20/7/2026). The PRR Task Force is currently consolidating mitigation measures with the local government as a follow-up to the emergency response. Strengthening embankments, managing river basins, and protecting flood-prone points are priorities to ensure that the response does not stop at post-flood clean-up but continues into a more permanent and sustainable solution.

Fadjar added that the government has provided budget support to accelerate rehabilitation and reconstruction. Therefore, local governments are expected to immediately optimise the implementation of mitigation programmes according to field needs so that flood risks can be significantly reduced. Meanwhile, during the emergency response period, the Central Tapanuli Regency Government, through BPBD together with the TNI, Polri, Basarnas, and the community, moved quickly to evacuate affected residents in the Tukka, Badiri, Pinangsori, and Sarudik districts. The Central Tapanuli Social Service also opened a public kitchen at the HKBP Sipange Church Hall to meet the basic needs of the refugees. Based on preliminary data collection, 67 families or approximately 223 people were affected by the floods and had to evacuate before conditions gradually improved.