PU Ministry Speeds Up Huntara Development in South Tapanuli

TAPSEL - The Ministry of Public Works (PU) through the North Sumatra Strategic Infrastructure Implementation Unit, has accelerated the process of building the Batang Toru Temporary Housing (Huntara), South Tapanuli Regency (Tapsel), so that it can be occupied by survivors of hydrometeorological disasters in the area in the first week of Ramadan.

"We are trying to make this first week of Ramadan available," said the Head of the North Sumatra Strategic Infrastructure Implementation Unit, the PU Ministry, Kurniawan in Tapsel, North Sumatra, Antara, Monday, February 16.

Development is indeed hampered by the weather, especially the rain that has continued to pour on the area in the last few days so that development is off target.

Kurniawan explained that the construction of the huntara in Batang Toru was initially targeted to be occupied early Ramadan, but the weather was the biggest obstacle.

"It is indeed targeted before Ramadan, it is finished. But we are hampered by the weather, because it has been raining for three days," he said.

Kurniawan added that officers in the field managed to accelerate the construction of the huntara by working until late at night when it did not rain, in addition to that, work inside the room was still being carried out.

Currently, said Kurniawan, of the 21 blocks that will be built, eight of them have been completed, only the final work such as installing beds, fans, electricity and others.

"There are eight blocks that have actually been completed. It can be occupied at the beginning of Ramadan. If the whole of us try to do this in the first week of Ramadan," he said.

A total of 252 units or 21 blocks are to be built in Batang Toru District, South Tapanuli Regency. Each block consists of 12 units.

Previously, the Head of the Task Force (Satgas) for the Acceleration of Post-disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Sumatra, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, inaugurated 200 huntara units in Simarpinggan, South Angkola, South Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra (North Sumatra), Thursday (5/2).

The Huntara was built by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) together with Danantara.

In addition to Simarpinggan, Tito also inaugurated 50 huntara units in South Tapanuli virtually. On that occasion, he inaugurated huntara virtually simultaneously in seven districts affected by disasters in Sumatra.

The areas include Tapanuli Tengah with 112 units and Tapanuli Utara with 40 units. Furthermore, Aceh Tamiang 58 units, Aceh Timur 308 units, North Aceh 84 units, Pidie Jaya 410 units, and Tanah Datar 38 units. Thus, the total huntara was inaugurated simultaneously with 1,300 units.