“Temporary housing is a very important element so that survivors do not have to stay too long in evacuation centers,” Pratikno said in Lubuk Basung after inaugurating 117 temporary housing units at State Elementary School (SDN) 05 Kayu Pasak, Salareh Aia Nagari (village), Palembayan Sub-district, Agam District, West Sumatra, on Saturday (Jan. 24).
The inauguration was also attended by Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Lt. Gen. Suharyanto, West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah, Agam District Head Benni Warlis, and other officials.
Pratikno said the construction of temporary housing is currently underway in many locations across several regencies to relocate displaced residents from evacuation shelters to temporary accommodation.
Some of the temporary housing projects have been completed and are already occupied by disaster survivors, allowing them to resume more normal family lives while awaiting the construction of permanent housing.
“A large number of temporary housing units have been built, and some survivors have already returned to their homes,” he said.
He added that the government has established a Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra.
The task force’s steering committee is chaired by the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture and includes other coordinating ministers, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) commander, the national police chief, and the finance minister.
The task force’s executive committee is led by the home affairs minister, with sectoral teams headed by ministers and agency chiefs tasked with accelerating recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction as quickly as possible, under a mandate to “build back better.”
The process begins with infrastructure, as many roads and bridges require repairs.
Recovery efforts also include restoring electricity networks, fuel supplies, damaged agricultural land, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and markets.
“We want people to return to their own homes, but we also want their economic conditions to improve. The construction of permanent housing is being accelerated in parallel with economic recovery,” Pratikno said.
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Translator: Altas, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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