"I received a report from the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas that, perhaps starting this Sunday, we will begin constructing 2,000 houses, likely permanent houses," he said at a Plenary Cabinet Meeting at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.
The president stated that the government has planned the formation of a special agency or task force to handle the rehabilitation and reconstruction of disaster-hit areas.
Through this mechanism, the government will accelerate the construction of both temporary and permanent housing for the affected residents.
In the meeting, the president also stated that the budget for rehabilitation and reconstruction has been prepared, sourced from the State Budget.
The availability of this budget is supported by the efficiency policy implemented by the government since the beginning of Prabowo Subianto's administration, ensuring the fiscal space is maintained.
According to the president, the principle of efficient and equitable spending, as mandated by the 1945 Constitution, allows the government to have sufficient funding capacity to address urgent needs, including disaster response.
Devastating floods and landslides struck three provinces of Sumatra, namely Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, in late November 2025 following high-intensity rainfall.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) data showed that as of December 15, the death toll from the disasters had reached 1,030, while 206 people were still missing.
According to the data, the disasters damaged at least 186 thousand houses, 145 bridges, and 434 places of worship across the 52 affected districts and cities in the three provinces.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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