He praised the sovereign wealth fund for completing 600 temporary housing units within eight days, saying the overall quality was fairly good.
"We should think about possible solutions. They do not have to be expensive, perhaps using local materials such as woven materials or palm fiber installed beneath the metal roof," Prabowo said during a meeting with Danantara management and several cabinet ministers in Aceh Tamiang on Thursday.
The president made the remarks after inspecting the housing development in the flood-hit district.
He said adding an extra lining under the metal roofing could be a simple way to improve residents' comfort and suggested using materials that are easy to obtain and low cost.
Prabowo left it to officials on the ground to determine the most suitable form and materials.
"Maybe it is enough to use textile materials installed beneath the metal roof. That can be left to the creativity of the people on the ground,” he said.
At the same meeting, Danantara CEO Rosan Roeslani said the 600 housing units are scheduled to be officially handed over to the local government on January 8.
The handover will include supporting facilities such as playgrounds, Wi-Fi networks, prayer rooms, 14 public kitchens, and 120 toilet and bathroom units.
Roeslani said Danantara aims to complete a total of 15,000 housing units across three provinces within the next three months.
"In Aceh, around 12,000 units will be built, followed by about 2,000 units in South and Central Tapanuli, and 500 units in West Sumatra," he said.
He added that Danantara has allocated about Rp1 trillion, or around US$60 million, sourced from state-owned enterprise corporate social responsibility funds.
So far, around Rp655 billion has been spent on housing construction and other assistance as Danantara accelerates development to ensure the units meet livable housing standards.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Kuntum Khaira
Editor: Anton Santoso
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