Clean Water Stock 21.082 Houses in West Sumatra Back to Normal Not More Than 30 Days

JAKARTA - The supply of clean water for 21,082 house connections in West Sumatra (Sumbar) has returned to normal in less than 30 days after handling the damage to the drinking water supply system (SPAM) infrastructure due to flash floods that hit the region at the end of November 2025.

The recovery was carried out through an emergency response handling project and rehabilitation of clean water infrastructure carried out by PT Hutama Karya (Persero) in Agam Regency, South Coast Regency and Padang City, West Sumatra Province.

The previous flash flood caused major damage to the piping network and drinking water supply facilities.

A number of major distribution networks were cut off, while supporting buildings owned by the Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM) and the Community-Based Drinking Water and Sanitation Provider (Pamsimas) were damaged.

In Padang City, one of the worst damage points occurred at SPAM Palukahan.

The flood caused the rupture of a 400-millimeter diameter transmission pipe along 1 kilometer from the intake to the Water Treatment Plant (IPA) and a 200-meter transmission pipe in the Balai Gadang area.

Damage also occurred to the existing mercury bend in SPAM Guo Kuranji which plays an important role in draining raw water to the treatment plant.

To accelerate the recovery of services, the company divided the handling simultaneously in various affected locations.

At the critical point of Guo Kuranji, the team built a temporary dam using a three-layer woven geotextile material and reinforced with a new large-sized one so that water supplies could still enter the processing plant.

Meanwhile, in SPAM Batu Kambing, Agam Regency, the team collected pipes that were carried away by the flood to be reinstalled, so that the distribution network could immediately function.

In addition to restoring the main network, the project also supports the provision of clean water for residents living in temporary housing (huntara).

A total of 399 families (KK) who occupy eight huntara locations in Agam Regency and South Coast Regency have now regained access to clean water.

The recovery of the Palukahan transmission pipe and the distribution network of the Gadang Palace managed to normalize the water supply for 21,082 house connections.

Meanwhile, emergency handling through the construction of a temporary dam at SPAM Guo Kuranji was able to maintain water supply for around 6,312 active customer connections.

In its implementation, the project faces a number of challenges, especially the location which is far from the main transportation infrastructure in several areas of Agam Regency and South Coast.

To overcome this obstacle, the team chose materials that are easier to be transported manually by workers.

In addition, skilled workers from outside the region were also brought in to support the work and transfer knowledge to local workers.

The implementation of the project is carried out through coordination with various parties, including the Ministry of Public Works (PU), Building Arrangement Office, Infrastructure and Area of West Sumatra Province, local PDAM and the surrounding community.

A total of 83 local workers or about 65 percent of the total workers involved were also involved in the rehabilitation process.

Acting Executive Vice President (EVP) Secretary of Hutama Karya Hamdani said that the recovery of SPAM after the disaster was one of the company's priorities to restore public access to clean water services.

"Handling SPAM post-disaster in West Sumatra is one of our top priorities to restore people's rights to clean water access that was interrupted by flash floods," said Hamdani, quoted from a written statement, Tuesday, June 2.

"Through the rapid emergency response handling at critical points such as Palukahan and Guo Kuranji, we have succeeded in accelerating the normalization of clean water for tens of thousands of home connections and Huntara areas," he continued.

All rehabilitation and restoration work on clean water infrastructure is targeted to be completed by December 22, 2026.