121 Households in Bima Isolated After Bridge Washed Away by Flooding

Hundreds of residents in Dusun Wawu Dalam, Desa Mawu, Kecamatan Ambalawi, Kabupaten Bima, Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) are isolated after the bridge linking their hamlet to the main village was swept away by floods. The reason is that the 26‑metre bridge on Watasan So Mpungga in Dusun Mawu Dalam was cut off due to floods following heavy rain on 6‑7 March. ‘The bridge was washed away by floods after two days of heavy rain,’ he added.

In addition to being impassable, the bridge’s destruction means children cannot go to school. Likewise, the teachers of SDN Mawu Dalam cannot teach because there is no alternative road access. ‘Residents have to cross the river by wading as circumstances are urgent,’ Jamaluddin said.

Jamaluddin said he had written and conveyed the situation to the Bima Regency Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). He hopes the local government will promptly build an alternative bridge. ‘I hope an alternative bridge will be built soon so that residents of Mawu Dalam can cross and the economic route is not hindered,’ he said.

Nurul Huda, Head of Emergency and Logistics at BPBD Kabupaten Bima, said she had received reports of the bridge disruption in Dusun Mawu Dalam. She said the report had also been forwarded to the Department of Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) of Bima Regency. ‘We have already conveyed it to the relevant technical agencies,’ Huda said.

In addition to Dusun Mawu, Huda said floods also hit several other villages in Bima Regency. The floods were triggered by heavy rain that drenched the area from Friday to Saturday. ‘Flooding on Saturday also occurred in seven villages across three districts in Bima Regency,’ she said.

According to BPBD data, floods occurred in three districts in Bima Regency, including Tambora, Wera, and Bolo. Not only did the floods inundate hundreds of homes, they also flooded several schools in the three districts. ‘The total number of homes flooded and affected by floods on Saturday is around 528 units,’ Huda added.