RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Public Works (PU) Ministry is fast-tracking the restoration of 38 river estuaries across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra to improve coastal defenses against recurring flood risks. This important move follows recent natural disasters that left critical waterways heavily silted, threatening downstream communities and local economies.

Public Works Minister, Dody Hanggodo, emphasized that the restoration requires a precise technical approach tailored to the unique characteristics of each location, from river morphology to tidal influences.

"Most of the affected estuaries require handling using dredgers, especially for large river mouths that have experienced heavy silting due to post-disaster sedimentation," said Minister Dody in an official release in Jakarta on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

He noted that the acceleration is a vital part of water resource infrastructure recovery. This effort is specifically aimed at reinforcing public protection from secondary flooding and ongoing sedimentation in downstream areas.

As reported by Antara, the massive project covers 25 estuaries under national authority and 13 under provincial authority. All of these sites are being managed through an integrated partnership between the Ministry and local administration.

As of February 16, 2026, the overall progress has reached an average of 35.5 percent, with national sites leading at 40 percent and provincial sites at 31 percent. The government has set a firm deadline to complete all technical interventions by October 2027.

To ensure maximum efficiency, the Ministry is coordinating closely with the Kuala Task Force, established by the Defense Minister, to deepen and restore the affected river mouths.

The technical workflow involves a fleet of long-arm excavators, amphibious machinery, and specialized dredgers. Beyond simple dredging, the project includes riverbed normalization, bank reinforcement, and the construction of sediment control structures such as sabo dams, focusing on key estuaries that serve as economic lifelines for Sumatra's coastal populations. ***