Asotipo District of Jayawijaya Hit by Landslides and Floods, River Normalization Becomes a Priority

Houses buried in mud, damaged by natural disasters that occurred in Pobiatma Village, Asotipo District, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua Mountains some time ago. ANTARA/Yudhi Efendi.

WAMENA - The Ministry of Public Works (PU) RI through the Papua Merauke River Regional Office has ensured that it will help handle natural disasters that have hit Pobiatma Village, Asotipo District, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua Mountains.

Jayawijaya Regent Atenius Murib confirmed that the assistance would be provided after the landslide and flood disaster in the Asotipo District was designated as a regional disaster through a Jayawijaya Regent's Decree (SK).

"We have communicated with the central government through the Merauke Papua River Regional Office to help handle post-natural disasters in Asotipo," said Atenius in Wamena, Antara, Monday, February 2.

According to him, the determination of the status of the regional disaster is the basis for the involvement of the central government in the recovery efforts of the affected areas.

"Based on the Jayawijaya Regent's Decree on regional disasters in Asotipo, a team from the Papua Merauke River Regional Office will come to see the current conditions of the areas affected by landslides and floods," he said.

Atenius explained that the regional disaster decree is valid for four months, starting from January to April 2026. During that period, the Merauke Papua River Regional Office will be involved in post-disaster handling so that the condition of the region can recover.

"For the next four months, the Merauke Papua River Regional Office will help deal with the impact of natural disasters in Asotipo, so that the area can return to its original state," he said.

He added that the main focus of post-disaster handling was the normalization of rivers affected by landslides and floods.

"The Merauke Papua River Basin will normalize several branches of rivers or rivers affected by the disaster," he said.

In addition, Atenius ensured that the Jayawijaya Regency Housing Service had carried out data collection on the damage to residents' houses due to the disaster as the basis for distributing assistance and relocation.

"We have recorded losses due to landslides and floods, including houses covered with mud and cannot be repaired and houses that can still be cleaned to be relocated immediately," he said.