Tito Karnavian pushes rapid Sumatra post‑disaster reconstruction

Indonesia’s Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian, chair of the Task Force for Accelerating Post‑Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra, called on 16 ministries and agencies to promptly implement the rehabilitation‑reconstruction program. He noted that 16 of the 32 designated ministries have already received budget allocations, covering agencies such as BMKG, the Ministry of Education, Transport, Housing, Public Works, Fisheries, Health, Environment, Agriculture, Social Affairs, Creative Economy, the National Disaster Management Agency, Statistics, and others. The program, prepared by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), estimates a total cost of about Rp 100.1 trillion and is slated for execution from 2026 to 2028, with additional transfer funds proposed for affected regions.

Karnavian also warned that the scale of damage across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra cannot be remedied within a single year. Ongoing flooding in districts such as Agam, Tapanuli Tengah, Pidie Jaya, Bener Meriah, Bireuen and the city of Padang continues to damage rebuilt infrastructure, making river normalization the most challenging task. He urged the public to understand that full recovery will take several years, not just the coming months.