Temporary Housing Nearly Complete, PRR Task Force Accelerates Permanent Housing
After passing Eid al-Fitr in temporary housing (Huntara), the government is beginning to focus efforts on providing permanent housing for flood victims in Sumatra. The presence of decent and comfortable accommodation is considered important as part of recovery, so that community life can gradually return to normal.
“The Huntara phase is almost complete. So we are now entering the acceleration phase for all permanent housing,” said the Head of the PRR Task Force and Interior Minister Tito Karnavian while inspecting the permanent housing construction process together with the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas Maruarar Sirait in Dolok Nauli Village, North Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Thursday, 26 March 2026.
Displaced persons who previously lived in tents now have places to live while awaiting the permanent housing construction process. Huntara construction has reached 84 percent or 16,305 units out of a planned 19,351 units in the three affected provinces.
Data from the Sumatra Regional Post-Disaster Acceleration Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Task Force (PRR) records that 43 household heads remain in evacuation tents. This number has dropped sharply compared to the time of the disaster, which affected around 2,108,582 people, and as of 17 February 2026, 12,994 people were recorded.
Permanent housing construction is a long-term solution for residents whose homes were swept away or severely damaged. As of 26 March 2026, the PRR Task Force targets the construction of 36,669 permanent housing units in the three flood-affected provinces: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Of that number, Aceh receives the largest allocation with 27,104 units, followed by North Sumatra with 5,815 units and West Sumatra with 3,750 units.
Aceh has taken progressive steps by completing 104 permanent housing units as of 26 March 2026. In addition, there are 388 more units still under construction. The rest will continue to be worked on gradually by the government until all housing needs for victims are met.
The construction involves various parties, with details: BNPB building 4,260 units, Police 150 units, Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas 21,590 units, and Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation 1,000 units. Meanwhile, 104 permanent housing units have been fully completed in North Aceh Regency and carried out by the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.
Aceh Tamiang Regency is the area with the highest submission for housing construction, reaching 11,106 units. Followed by North Aceh Regency with 5,431 units and East Aceh with 1,386 units. Meanwhile, other regencies in Aceh Province submitted housing needs below 1,000 units.
Meanwhile, North Sumatra Province has completed 71 units and 453 are still under construction. Similarly, permanent housing construction in this province is also carried out on a mutual cooperation principle. The details: BNPB will build 928 units, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi 58 units, Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas 3,735 units, Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation 994 units, and Baznas 100 units.
South Tapanuli Regency is the area with the highest target for permanent housing construction, reaching 1,718 units. Next, Central Tapanuli Regency follows with 1,537 units, and Padang Sidempuan City with 1,133 units. Other affected areas have construction targets below 1,000 units.
West Sumatra has completed 6 units and 447 others are under construction. Of the 3,750 unit construction target, the most permanent housing will be built in Agam Regency with 1,414 units. Followed by Padang City with 765 units and Padang Pariaman with 664 units.
This project will be carried out by various parties, with details: BNPB building 1,400 units, local government 4 units, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin) 10 units, Danantara 82 units, Willy Salim 10 units, Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas 1,644 units, and Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation 600 units. Of that number, the 6 completed units are part of the construction by Willy Salim and located in Padang Panjang.
In implementing permanent housing construction, the government prepares two schemes that can be chosen by affected communities: communal and in situ. The communal scheme is built by the government or through cooperation with private parties. The construction location is carried out in a complex where the land is provided by the local government (pemda). Meanwhile, the in situ scheme is an option that allows communities to build their own homes with support assistance from BNPB amounting to Rp 60 million per unit.
Task Force Head Tito encourages local governments to actively coordinate with contractors to avoid obstacles in the construction process. Therefore, he emphasises that local governments must be serious in overseeing the permanent housing construction for disaster victims. “The Huntara phase is almost complete. So we are now entering the phase where all permanent housing acceleration is being pushed,” said Tito.
Meanwhile, Maruarar or the Minister often called Ara makes permanent housing a government priority that must be carried out seriously and in accordance with the established standards. She also asks local governments and contractors to increase supervision and improve performance so that the construction process can run according to target. “We want this permanent housing construction to be truly completed well, on time, and of quality. Disaster victims have waited too long for certainty of decent housing,” said Ara.
The visit by Task Force Head Tito together with Housing Minister Maruarar to North Tapanuli also inspected Huntara construction with a communal scheme supported by a non-governmental organisation, namely the Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation. Overall in the three provinces, this foundation will build 2,603 permanent housing units, with 103 of them in North Tapanuli.
The government continues to accelerate this construction process so that people who lost their homes or whose houses were severely damaged after the flood can soon have proper accommodation.