Public Works Minister Admits Disaster Recovery in Aceh Is Still Lagging Behind, Here Are the Reasons

The Public Works Minister (PU) Dody Hanggodo has acknowledged that the post-disaster recovery process in Aceh remains behind other regions. He attributes the delay to geographic conditions and massive damage, particularly affecting bridges and irrigation infrastructure. He said that overall progress of disaster recovery over the last six months has been positive, but Aceh presents the greatest challenge due to severe river and upstream damage. ‘What is somewhat lagging, in my view, is Aceh. Because Aceh is very large and very massive,’ he said. He explained that many rivers in Aceh have widened by five to ten times as a result of the disaster. This condition requires bridge designs to be completely redesigned before permanent construction can proceed. He added that timber and stone materials from upstream areas still pose risks when it rains. Therefore, the Ministry of Public Works (Kementerian PU) decided to build dams even while still in the emergency response phase to curb greater damage downstream. In addition to bridges, he said the rehabilitation of the irrigation sector is the area most behind. The government still needs to ensure the affected rice fields, including checking whether the land can still be used or must be relocated due to mud deposits. ‘If the rice-field area must be relocated, we will have to create a new irrigation area,’ the Democratic Party politician said. Dody noted that the government is now focusing on accelerating the recovery of rice fields and irrigation in Aceh to support the 2026 food self-sufficiency target set by President Prabowo Subianto. The Ministry of Public Works is also cooperating with the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) to ensure the recovery of agricultural infrastructure runs optimally. Additionally, the government is restarting labour-intensive programmes to clear mud in disaster-affected residential areas. Through the programme, residents will be directly involved in cleaning their homes and receive wages in accordance with rules jointly set with the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP). Dody said he will again review Aceh and Sumatra in the near future to ensure the acceleration of the recovery program is on target.