Recovery from the Great Flood of Sumatra is Predicted to Take 2-3 Years

JAKARTA - The Minister of Public Works (PU), Dody Hanggodo, assessed that the recovery after the flash flood and landslide in Aceh Province, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, will take two to three years.

He estimated that the three provinces could recover at the earliest in two years, but realistically the Government is preparing a recovery plan for the next three years.

"(Recovery) at the earliest two years, at the earliest, yes. However, in our plan proposal to Bappenas (it takes) about three years," Dody said in a media briefing at the PU Ministry's office, Jakarta, Friday, January 16, 2026.

Dody assessed that the length of the recovery time was influenced by various affected infrastructure works, ranging from the road and bridge sectors to water resources. The reason is that a number of physical projects take longer and cannot be completed quickly.

He gave an example of the construction of a sabo dam or check dam which requires a gradual process, handling the Tarutung-Sibolga section which also takes time, to the recovery of the Anai Valley Toll Road which is estimated to take one to two years.

"So, there are some physical works that cannot be fast (finished)," he said.

According to him, the Government's initial priority at this time is to ensure that the public can return to normal life by opening access to previously isolated areas.

"The point is (the village) must not be isolated. That's what I was chasing," he said.

As the completion of national road and bridge repairs, Dody ensures that no more districts or cities are isolated. This certainty was conveyed based on the update of the condition on the 52nd day after the disaster.

Not only that, Dody also reported that all affected national roads and bridges had returned to function. It was noted that there were 99 national road sections and 33 national bridges that had been cut off, but now they can all be passed through even though some are still temporary.

However, Dody did not deny that there were still big challenges at the regional level.

"Now we are focusing on sub-districts and villages because there are still almost 2,000 roads and bridges in the area that are broken," he said.

Based on the exposure material, the overall regional infrastructure affected by the disaster reached 2,710 units, consisting of approximately 1,900 regional roads, and 753 regional bridges.

Until now, the regional road that has returned to function is estimated to reach 72 percent. Meanwhile, the regional bridge has been handled is still very limited, only about 12 percent.