Sumatra Disaster Recovery: Government Monitors Progress Weekly

Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, who also serves as the Head of the Task Force for Acceleration of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) for post-disaster Sumatra, affirmed that the recovery from natural disasters in Aceh Province, North Sumatra (Sumut), and West Sumatra (Sumbar) has not yet been halted. The government has allocated a total budget of Rp100.1 trillion for the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase following the Sumatra disasters. Tito conveyed this after a Coordination Meeting on the Progress of Acceleration of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Post-Natural Disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, specifically in the Education Sector, held at the Satgas PRR Post in Jakarta. "This is proof that the government, especially the central government, is not standing idly by regarding the Sumatra disaster events. And we are truly working massively in this rehabilitation and reconstruction phase," Tito said on Wednesday (23/9). He ensured that the handling by each ministry/institution is updated periodically, specifically every week. This week, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) had the opportunity to report that learning and teaching activities in 4,922 schools have resumed 100 percent. "Next week and the weeks after, there will be further explanations. The Minister of Public Works (Menteri PU) will likely explain how the repair of road access, bridges, rivers, and others, which are also massive in number, is progressing," he elaborated. Tito added that the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase not only focuses on the infrastructure side but also covers aspects from health access to the economic conditions of the affected communities. One such example is the program run by the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, through the recovery of affected rice fields. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) is focusing on residents' fish ponds. "Although many people on the ground already know, we need to provide a general explanation. We will conduct these explanations every week," the Minister of Home Affairs concluded. Source: CNN Indonesia