Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) said the government has deployed heavy equipment to reopen routes blocked by landslides or severely damaged in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
“The main priority now is to reconnect the primary routes, even temporarily, so that logistics and medical aid can reach all affected areas,” AHY said after a ministerial-level coordination meeting on post-disaster response in Sumatra, held here on Thursday.
He explained that the Public Works Ministry is mapping damage to national, provincial, and district roads, including bridges destroyed by flash floods and landslides.
The ministry has recorded at least 71 national road sections and 108 non-national roads affected across the three provinces. In addition, a total of 31 national bridges and 48 non-national bridges were also impacted.
AHY said the government is preparing temporary repairs while planning more resilient permanent reconstruction.
As an example, he noted that a 250-meter bridge in Aceh Tamiang that collapsed cannot wait for a permanent fix that could take up to six months. The government is therefore preparing a single-lane temporary bridge to maintain the movement of people and goods.
“This is the same strategy we applied in Lembah Anai, West Sumatra, where a vital arterial route connecting the province to Riau had to be reopened immediately, even if only through a single alternating lane,” he said.
He added that the floods and landslides in Sumatra have affected 52 districts and cities -18 out of 23 in Aceh, 18 out of 33 in North Sumatra, and 16 out of 19 in West Sumatra.
According to preliminary data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) presented during the coordination meeting, more than 900 people have been confirmed dead, over 230 remain missing, around 5,000 have been injured and are receiving medical care, and approximately one million residents have been displaced.
AHY stressed that while the emergency response continues to focus on evacuations, logistics, and healthcare, efforts to restore basic infrastructure access are being carried out in parallel to allow rehabilitation and reconstruction to begin as soon as conditions stabilize.
“Beyond rebuilding, we aim to build back better, stronger, and more resilient to future disasters,” he said.
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Translator: Aria, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Primayanti
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