PKB Legislators Ask Minister Bahlil To Immediately Restore Electricity Networks In Aceh And Sumatra

JAKARTA Member of the DPR from the PKB faction Ruslan M Daud asked the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) to accelerate the recovery of electricity networks in a number of areas in Aceh and Sumatra affected by floods and landslides.

Ruslan assessed that the conditions on the ground were far from the claims of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, who said that 97 percent of the electricity supply had returned to normal.

"There are still many areas affected by floods and landslides whose electricity is not yet on. The condition is not as said to have recovered 97 percent," Ruslan told reporters, Wednesday, December 10.

The legislator from the Aceh electoral district emphasized that prolonged blackouts made people more difficult in the midst of post-disaster situations.

"We urge the government, especially the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, to really accelerate the recovery of electricity," said Ruslan.

The member of Commission V of the DPR said that the absence of electricity made the post-disaster recovery process slow and burdened the community.

He said public services, including administration, health facilities, logistics distribution, to access to communication, could not operate normally.

In many areas, public services cannot run optimally because electricity has not yet entered. Many coffee shops and MSMEs are forced to use generators at high costs. If they don't use generators, their activities are paralyzed and the economy is disrupted," he said.

In addition, Ruslan continued, power outages also have an impact on access to clean water because many water pumps cannot operate. A number of gas stations are also not functioning because the electricity network has not yet recovered.

"Only a few gas stations continue to operate with limited generators on," he said.

Ruslan emphasized that the evacuation process for affected residents was also hampered due to the lack of lighting and limited communication tools.

He explained that volunteers and officers in several locations had difficulty mapping areas that were still isolated because the electricity and telecommunications networks were not stable.

When the electricity goes out, access to information is limited. Volunteers are difficult to coordinate, especially at night. This slows down the evacuation process and distribution of aid," he said.

Therefore, Ruslan emphasized that accelerating electricity recovery is an urgent need related to the safety of residents, smooth evacuation, economic recovery, and social stability in the affected areas.

"The government must make restoring electricity a top priority," he concluded.