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Indonesia aims to end tent living for Aceh evacuees by Eid al-Fitr

Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) – Home Minister Tito Karnavian, who leads the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra, is targeting that no evacuees remain in tents by the time of Eid al-Fitr.“The target is that before the holiday there will be no more evacuees living in tents. There are two options for those currently in tents: they can move to temporary shelters or receive housing waiting funds,” Karnavian said here on Monday.He delivered the statement while accompanying the Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf in distributing disaster assistance to residents of East Aceh district.Construction of temporary shelters is ongoing in several disaster-affected areas in Aceh Province, including Aceh Tamiang, East Aceh, and North Aceh districts.For instance, the construction of temporary shelters in Atu Lintang, North Aceh district, has been accelerated. The work is being carried out collectively so it can be completed by March 19, 2026 at 11 p.m. local time, after which the shelters will be handed over to evacuees the following day.“We have asked the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the North Aceh district head to immediately hand over the shelters once they are completed. After the handover, the tents must also be dismantled. It would not look proper if tents remain there after the shelters are available,” he said.As for the housing waiting fund option, he said disaster victims would receive Rp1.6 million for every three-month period so they can live in more suitable accommodation rather than remain in evacuation tents. Data on beneficiaries must be accurate so that no disaster victims are left unregistered or receive duplicate assistance.