JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works (PU) has accelerated the recovery of infrastructure in Aceh with a focus on the construction of sabo dams and mud cleaning in disaster-affected areas.
Minister of PUDody Hanggodomengatakan the acceleration was carried out to anticipate the impact of the high rainfall that is still occurring in a number of Aceh regions.
"At that time I was afraid that the wood could go down to Tamiang again because of heavy rain," said Dody as reported by ANTARA, Friday, April 17.
He explained that one of the main concerns was the potential for wood materials from mountainous areas to be carried by the current to downstream areas such as Aceh Tamiang.
To anticipate this, the PU Ministry has accelerated the construction of the dam sabotage even though it was originally planned in the reconstruction phase.
"I should have worked on the Sabo dam later after entering the reconstruction process, but at the time of the emergency response process, I had already worked on it. But it seems that with the weather conditions today, this still has to be accelerated," he said.
According to him, the acceleration was carried out with a design and build scheme so that work could begin immediately without waiting for the normal stage.
In addition, Dody said that handling mud is still the main focus, especially in the Pidie Jaya and Aceh Tamiang areas.
He said that conditions on the ground still showed many settlements affected by mud, although on the main road it looked relatively good.
"The condition is not good down there, so this is what we have to accelerate the cleaning," he said.
The cleaning of the mud was also carried out through a labor-intensive program involving the local community, as well as to accelerate the recovery of the residential area.
On the other hand, the PU Ministry also coordinates with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and local governments to carry out weather modification operations to reduce the intensity of rain.
Dody added that acceleration was also carried out on the construction of inter-regional connecting bridges, especially in remote areas that were affected.
He said the design of the bridge could be done quickly and its implementation could involve the support of the TNI so that public mobility is not disrupted.
"If the movement of the community is not disturbed, usually logistics will not be disturbed," he said.
The government, he continued, also carried out the cleaning of primary and secondary irrigation to support agricultural activities, especially ahead of the planting season.
Dody said that this effort was carried out together with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that agricultural land that was not affected by the mud could be replanted immediately.
Previously, the government also continued to accelerate the construction of temporary housing for disaster-affected people in Aceh, especially in the Aceh Tamiang area as a priority for handling.
Based on data from the Ministry of PU on March 21, 2026, the number of severely damaged houses in Aceh Province reached 38,169 units, with the construction of temporary housing as many as 28,236 units or about 74 percent of the total needs.
In Aceh Tamiang Regency, temporary housing construction is carried out in the form of seven modular building blocks that can accommodate around 336 people.
Dody emphasized that the recovery of Aceh was one of his ministry's priorities so that community activities could return to normal as soon as possible.
"The problem now is the mud, so that's what we're after," he said.
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