Buried in 2 Meters of Mud, Al Bayan Pesantren in Pidie Jaya Survives at Its Own Expense

A dormitory room was buried in mud during a flash flood in Pidie Jaya, Aceh, Sunday (14/12/2025). ANTARA/M Haris SA

PIDIE JAYA - Al Bayan Islamic Boarding School in Gampong Mayang Cut, Meureudu District, Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh Province, was forced to dredge the flood mud that covered the entire building of the educational institution at its own expense.

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"We are forced to use our own costs to dredge the flood debris," said the Coordinator for Disaster Preparedness at Al Bayan Pesantren Meurah Johan in Pidie Jaya, Antara, Sunday, December 14.

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Pesantren Al Bayan is not far from the Meureudu Bridge which was broken due to flash floods in late November. Currently, the bridge can be crossed again.

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All buildings in the pesantren complex were buried in mud carried by flash floods due to the overflow of Krueng Meureudu. The height of the mud at the location ranged from one to more than two meters.

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Meurah Johan said that the dredging of mud was carried out using a small-sized excavator borrowed from one of the services in the Pidie Jaya Regency Government. However, for fuel oil and the cost of operating heavy equipment must be borne by the pesantren.

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"We borrow heavy equipment, but we have to bear the operational costs and fuel ourselves. At least the cost spent reaches Rp. 1 million per day," he said.

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In the initial phase, dredging is focused on the drilling wells of the boarding school which are buried in mud to a depth of about two meters. The wells will later be re-functionalized to meet the boarding school's clean water needs and the residents around who are still living in the evacuation.

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"Clean water is an urgent need for flood victims in this area. Therefore, we are focusing on dredging in the bore hole area so that clean water sources can be immediately reused," he said.

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After that, the dredging continued to the main building of the pesantren which was planned to be re-functionalized as a mosque and a place for children to study.

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"The dredging of mud in this complex is quite heavy if it only relies on its own costs. However, we must do this so that the learning process at the boarding school can resume," said Meurah Johan.

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He said that Al Bayan Islamic Boarding School has 139 students. When the flash flood hit the area, there were four students and six teachers living in the boarding school environment.

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"With the condition of this mud pile, we are forced to stop teaching and learning activities. We hope that there will be government assistance to dredge the flood mud that reaches more than two meters in height," said Meurah Johan.