Tito Ensures Post-Disaster Recovery in Sumatra Will Be Reported Weekly

The Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, acting as the Head of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (PRR) in Sumatra, has emphasised that the central government is continuously working to mitigate the impacts of disasters in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. He stated that the government has prepared a total budget of Rp100.1 trillion for the rehabilitation and reconstruction phases in Sumatra.

Tito stated that the central government is not remaining idle regarding the disasters occurring in Sumatra. He made these remarks following a Coordination Meeting on the Progress of Post-Disaster Natural Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in the field of education, held at the PRR Task Force Post in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/09).

“This serves as evidence that the government, especially the central government, is not remaining idle regarding the disaster events in Sumatra. We are working very massively during this rehab and recon stage,” Tito said in a written statement on Wednesday.

Tito ensured that the handling by each ministry and agency will be updated periodically, every week. This week, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reported that teaching and learning activities in 4,922 locations have reached 100 per cent completion.

“There will be further explanations in the following week and subsequent weeks. The Minister of Public Works may explain the repairs to road access, bridges, rivers, and others, the scale of which is also massive,” he continued.

Tito also noted that the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase does not only focus on infrastructure, but also on healthcare access and the economic aspects of the disaster-affected communities.

He cited steps already taken by the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, through a programme to recover affected paddy fields, as well as the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), which is focusing on affected local fish ponds.

“Although many activities on the ground are already well-known, a general explanation is necessary. We will provide those explanations every week,” he concluded.