Access Is Still Cut Off, Legislators Ask The Government To Move Quickly To Restore Infrastructure In Aceh' Sumatra

A number of heavy equipment working on repairing Jalan Lembah Anai in Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, Wednesday (3/12/2025). ANTARA/Fandi Yogari

ACEH Deputy Chairman of Commission V DPR RI, Andi Iwan Darmawan Aras, urged the government to accelerate the recovery of infrastructure after the floods and landslides that hit Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

He emphasized that more than a week after the incident, a number of areas were still isolated, communication networks were cut off, and thousands of residents had not been touched by aid.

"Infrastructure recovery must be a top priority, because without physical and communication access, the entire emergency handling system is practically paralyzed," Iwan Aras told reporters, Friday, December 5.

Iwan said the most critical disturbance occurred in road and bridge damage that cut logistics access, slowed the evacuation process, and hampered emergency medical services.

According to him, technical obstacles like this can be a direct threat to the safety of citizens.

"Technical problems like this must be addressed immediately. The relevant Ministries/agencies together with local governments need to accelerate infrastructure recovery," said the Gerindra politician.

Iwan said that his party received reports of significant damage, including educational and health facilities, provincial and national roads in the kilometer range, as well as bridges that collapsed and cut off inter-regional relations.

Therefore, he encouraged the acceleration of rapid and integrated data collection of damage by involving the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), local governments, and BNPB. He also asked for a pattern of cross-institutional coordination in disaster emergency status to be implemented immediately.

"The emergency reconstruction team must be activated so that land and communication access can be opened immediately," said Iwan.

Even so, Iwan admitted that he was optimistic that the Government could effectively handle disaster management in Aceh and Sumatra. He considered that the emergency response measures had gone well and needed to be consistent.

"Because the good disaster emergency response process not only determines the continuity of today's evacuation, but also affects the process of social-economic recovery in the long term," he concluded.