Jakarta – The government continues to accelerate the construction of permanent housing for disaster-affected residents in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Minister of Housing and Settlements (PKP), Maruarar Sirait, stated that his ministry has prepared 197 locations for relocation and permanent housing construction in the three provinces.
Maruarar stated that the acceleration was carried out as part of the government’s commitment to ensuring that disaster-affected communities immediately have decent and safe housing.
“We are moving quickly and have proposed several locations in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra for the construction of permanent housing,” said Maruarar.
Maruarar added that specifically in Aceh, the total proposed relocation land area of 473.09 hectares is projected to accommodate the construction of up to 28,311 housing units. Of this total, 24 plots have undergone field verification and have been declared suitable for immediate construction.
“Specifically for Aceh, we are proposing 153 relocation sites, totaling 473.09 hectares and capable of accommodating over 28,000 housing units. Of these, some have been verified and declared suitable,” he explained.
The Minister of PKP emphasized that the construction of permanent housing cannot be done carelessly and must be safe from potential disasters.
“The location must be safe from potential disasters, free from legal issues, and close to sources of livelihood for the community, such as agricultural land, workplaces, schools, and markets,” Maruarar emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri), Muhammad Tito Karnavian, said that recording house damage is the main foundation for accelerating post-disaster recovery.
“The key to accelerating aid lies in clear data on which houses were slightly, moderately, and severely damaged across all districts and cities,” said the Minister of Home Affairs.
Tito continued, explaining that the President is placing great emphasis on ensuring the swift restoration of basic public services, particularly for residents with lightly and moderately damaged homes. The government has prepared an assistance scheme, offering compensation of IDR 15 million for lightly damaged homes and IDR 30 million for moderately damaged homes.
“We hope this assistance can be used immediately so that residents can start cleaning up and returning to their activities,” said Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian.
For severely damaged or lost homes, the government is prioritizing permanent relocation through the construction of permanent housing units (Hunap). During this process, residents are provided with temporary housing and a Housing Waiting Fund (DTH).