Satgas PRR: IPDN Cadets Clean Historic Site in Aceh Tamiang
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) Post-Sumatra Disaster states that cadets from the Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri (IPDN) are currently deployed to clean mud from a historic site in Aceh Tamiang, Aceh.
Quoted from a Satgas PRR statement on Monday, one cadet named I Gusti Ngurah Erlang AW admitted that he and other IPDN cadets feel proud to be trusted to help the community in the disaster-affected area.
“We feel tasked with carrying out a humanitarian mission. We are very pleased and proud, especially since for most of us, this is the first opportunity to carry out duties in (a disaster area) Aceh,” Erlang said.
The historic site being cleaned by the IPDN cadets is Istana Benua Raja, a relic of the Kerajaan Benua Tunu, located in Desa Benua Raja, Rantau Subdistrict, Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh.
Equipped with shovels and wheelbarrows, Erlang moves back and forth, combing every corner of the corridors of this historic building belonging to one of the oldest Islamic kingdoms in Aceh. He scoops out hardened mud resulting from the flood disaster that hit Aceh Tamiang at the end of last November.
Despite sweating and working under the hot sun, the 36th batch IPDN Pratama Cadet appears enthusiastic in cleaning the mud at the Istana Benua Raja site, which is one of the mandatory points to be cleaned in the third wave Field Work Practice (PKL) for IPDN cadets in Aceh Tamiang.
The Bali contingent IPDN cadets were sent along with 730 other cadets by the Ministry of Home Affairs to clean 42 locations still filled with thick mud, most of which is piled up in residential areas.
Moreover, the third wave PKL for IPDN cadets demands more direct involvement in the midst of the community, which further strengthens the humanitarian mission to disaster survivors, making the assignment more than just cleaning mud.
Previously, Satgas PRR Post-Sumatra Disaster Chairman Tito Karnavian urged IPDN cadets to work hard to clean the mud still filling residential environments in Aceh Tamiang.
This was conveyed by Tito while leading the opening roll call for the third wave PKL of IPDN Pratama Cadets at Istana Benua Raja, Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh, on Saturday (4/4).
Tito said that 731 IPDN cadets in the third wave deployed in Aceh Tamiang are focused on mud cleaning activities in residents’ homes, drainage, and village roads as part of efforts to accelerate post-disaster environmental recovery.
“The main target is to resolve issues still affected by mud, some of which has hardened, including this historic site (Istana Benua Raja), as well as community homes, drainage, and others, because Aceh Tamiang is one of the hardest-hit areas, especially due to flood sediment deposits of 4 to 5 metres,” Tito said.