“Please prepare locations for permanent housing that are technically flood-free, safe from potential landslides, close to public facilities, and legally clear. Do not choose locations that damage the environment,” Sirait said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.
He added that the construction of permanent housing depends on the speed of local governments, including housing development carried out through mutual cooperation.
Sirait highlighted North Tapanuli Regency as a potential model for accelerated and integrated post-disaster recovery.
He said the region had made significant progress in rebuilding efforts, noting that housing construction, electricity supply, and legal documentation had all been completed. On March 21, freehold titles are scheduled to be handed directly to residents.
“North Tapanuli can serve as an example. The houses are completed, electricity has been installed, and the land titles are also finished. Going forward, I hope South Tapanuli, Sibolga, and other Tapanuli regions will also have property titles for the people,” Sirait emphasized.
To ensure faster implementation, Sirait has also appointed three directors general to go directly to the field to complete the process of allocating housing in disaster-affected areas.
The construction of temporary shelters and permanent housing for evacuees affected by flash floods and landslides in Sumatra is one of the government’s priorities, as the emergency response period remains in effect in several disaster-hit regions.
More than 30,000 houses are planned to be built soon by the government, with support from state-owned enterprises (BUMN), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the National Police (Polri).
Last month (Nov. 25), a number of districts and cities in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra were hit by flash floods and landslides that left more than a thousand people dead, hundreds missing, and tens of thousands of homes damaged.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported as of Thursday (Dec. 25) that the death toll from flash floods and landslides in Sumatra had reached 1,135, while 173 people were remained missing as search and rescue operations ongoing. Nearly 490,000 people remain displaced, the agency added.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Kuntum Khaira Riswan
Editor: Arie Novarina
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