HKI confirms Malalak Road not yet open to public following disaster

Agam Regency (ANTARA) — PT Hutama Karya Infrastruktur (HKI) has confirmed that Malalak Road in Agam Regency, West Sumatra, has not been opened to the general public despite being passable by two-wheeled vehicles following flash floods.

“Overall, Malalak Road is currently passable but not yet open to the public,” said HKI field supervisor Subiantoro in Agam Regency on Sunday.

Nevertheless, Subiantoro said that Malalak residents wishing to travel towards Balingka, or vice versa, are permitted to use the road by motorcycle. One of HKI’s considerations in allowing residents of the two areas to traverse the route is the distance factor.

The road may only be crossed during worker rest periods, from 12:00 to 13:00 Western Indonesian Time, or after heavy equipment ceases operations from 17:00 until before 08:00.

“We are recommending access only for residents of Malalak and Balingka for now. For the general public beyond those areas, it is still not recommended,” he said.

On the same occasion, he stressed that the road closure in the Lembah Anai area of Tanah Datar Regency from 08:00 to 17:00, which remains in the post-disaster recovery phase, cannot serve as justification for road users to divert through Malalak.

“So if there are members of the public trying to avoid the Lembah Anai Road closure and wishing to travel via Malalak Road, that is absolutely not permitted,” Subiantoro emphasised.

To accelerate work on Malalak Road, HKI has deployed seven PC 200 excavator units, one PC 300 excavator unit, and several other types of heavy equipment. In addition to work at kilometre 82, HKI is also carrying out repairs and improvements at several other points that experienced subsequent landslides.