Aceh – Indonesia, Vice Governor of Aceh, Fadhlullah (Dek Fadh), proposed providing heavy equipment through a loan scheme for regencies and cities in flood-prone areas. The proposal was presented during a virtual follow-up meeting on watershed management and handling at the Aceh Vice Governor’s Meeting Room on Friday (10/2).
The meeting, chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Commissioner General Tomsi Tohir, discussed several crucial agendas, including measures to anticipate follow-up disasters, strengthening early warning systems, and accelerating infrastructure recovery in affected regions. The meeting was also attended by relevant ministries and agencies, as well as regional heads and disaster management units from each affected area.
During the meeting, Vice Governor Dek Fadh stated that the availability of heavy equipment in regions is essential to expedite emergency responses during floods, particularly for dredging and river normalization. According to him, regency and city governments can utilize Unexpected Expenditure (BTT) funds to operationalize the equipment, enabling faster on-ground responses.
“We propose a solution where these flood-prone regencies and cities are provided with heavy equipment, at least four excavators, under a loan scheme. This way, when flooding occurs, local governments can act immediately because regional heads better understand the conditions and needs of their areas,” he said.
He explained that this need is related to the condition of several rivers in Aceh that experience siltation and changes in flow patterns during floods. He added that this condition has impacted several infrastructure projects rebuilt post-disaster, such as two bridges recently completed by the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) that suffered damage again due to recent flooding.
Furthermore, Vice Governor Dek Fadh highlighted the need to adjust the mechanism for implementing Environmental Impact Assessments (AMDAL) during emergency conditions. He proposed simplifying the river management mechanism during emergencies so urgent procedures are not delayed by lengthy processes that hinder field responses.
“For emergency situations, we hope for a mechanism that simplifies field operations, such as through a letter from the command post head or task force chief with the knowledge of relevant ministries and departments. What matters most is that handling can be carried out immediately,” said Vice Governor Dek Fadh.
Responding to the proposal, the Head of the Post for the Task Force for the Acceleration of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (Satgas PRR) stated that the input would be taken as follow-up material. He also requested regency and city governments to complete data collection so that mitigation efforts can be carried out more efficiently and accurately. []