Reprimanded by President, Public Works Minister Still Builds Dam During Emergency Response

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo has admitted to continuing flood control infrastructure development despite it occurring under emergency response conditions. He stated that the decision was taken to prevent greater disaster impacts, particularly in Sumatra. “I already admitted my mistake to Mr President (Prabowo Subianto) during the meeting in Sentul. Because I was forced to carry out rehabilitation and reconstruction work under emergency response conditions,” Dody said during a media gathering at his office in South Jakarta on Friday (10/04/2026). “If not done immediately, flooding will occur again that’s even worse, and now it’s proven with flooding starting again in Aceh,” he added. Dody mentioned that dam construction is proceeding at around 188 locations. Some of these projects are even in national park areas and have received support from the Forestry Ministry. “He was a bit angry, but it’s okay because it’s necessary,” Dody said. In addition to dam construction, the Public Works Ministry is accelerating bridge repairs and construction, particularly on the strategic Medan-Banda Aceh route. Dody stated that several bridges are being made permanent to ensure smooth logistics flow, especially ahead of Eid al-Fitr 2026. “Especially those related to logistics such as fuel, rice, and so on,” he said. If there are still bridges that haven’t been built, the government will prepare temporary bridges. According to him, the regions of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra remain the government’s top priority, alongside other programmes like food self-sufficiency. On the other hand, Dody mentioned that the government is also beginning to anticipate the potential for a prolonged dry season as predicted by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).