December 8, 2025 | 12:14 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has approved emergency funding for 52 regencies and cities across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, following severe floods and landslides that have displaced nearly one million people.
The funds are intended to help local authorities meet urgent humanitarian needs, particularly for infants and women.
The decision was announced during a coordination meeting in Aceh on Sunday, December 7, 2025. The floods, among the most widespread disasters in Indonesia this year, have overwhelmed local resources as regions near the end of their fiscal year.
Local Budget Shortfall
Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian reported that disaster contingency funds in the affected regions had been largely depleted. While the central government has already sent essential aid, including food, fuel and rice, local governments still struggle to meet urgent needs at evacuation shelters.
“When we were on the ground, we saw shortages of basic supplies such as baby diapers and sanitary pads,” Tito said in remarks broadcast via the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel. “These are urgent necessities that local governments cannot currently cover.”
Tito noted that inter-regional support from other provinces had reached Rp34 billion so far, but it remains insufficient given the scale of the crisis. He asked the president for additional financial assistance.
Funds Doubled for Regional Governments
Responding to the request, Prabowo announced a larger contribution than proposed: Rp4 billion to support the 52 regencies and cities.
“You requested Rp2 billion for each region. I will allocate Rp4 billion,” Prabowo said.
He also directed officials to separately assess financial support for the three provincial governments, instructing an initial Rp20 billion to be distributed where impacts are most severe.
Document Replacement to Be Free of Charge
Damage to government offices has hindered public services and resulted in the loss of vital documents, including national ID cards, diplomas, driver’s licenses, and land certificates.
Tito proposed waiving replacement fees to ease the burden on affected residents.
“For IDs under our ministry, replacement is already free,” he said. “But we suggest extending the same policy to documents managed by other agencies.”
Prabowo agreed to the measure: “Okay, calculate everything later,” he replied.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that 975,000 residents have been displaced across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra as of December 7. Authorities continue to assess damage and humanitarian needs as rainfall persists in several areas.
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