Hundreds of Students Unable to Attend School Due to Bridge Collapse in Lembar
Hundreds of students in five hamlets of Sekotong Timur village, Lembar sub-district, West Lombok, have been unable to attend school since Monday (23/2/2026). The bridge connecting them to the main road collapsed after being hit by a river surge the day before.
The bridge, which connects Sekotong Timur village and Mareje village, collapsed on Sunday (22/2). As a result, around 300 families were temporarily isolated for two days because the main access route was cut off.
The head of Sekotong Timur village, Marwan Hakim, said that the collapse of the bridge has impacted at least five schools, from early childhood education to elementary school.
“Until today, our children have not been able to go to school because they cannot pass through. There are about 200 students at SDN 1 Sekotong Timur, but only about 70 have attended. There are also some of our residents who go to school outside the village but cannot pass through,” he told detikBali on Wednesday (25/2/2026).
According to Marwan, not only educational activities have been affected. The economic activities of residents in the five hamlets have also been disrupted because access to the main route has been cut off.
“Our residents can no longer go to the market; they have to go around through the hills. There are also mothers who sell vegetables using motorcycles, but they can no longer pass through,” he said.
He hopes that the West Lombok Regency government will immediately build a temporary bridge to restore access for residents. He said that it has been four days since the bridge collapsed.
“Of course, our residents are complaining. That’s why they have worked together to find coconut trees and install them. That’s all we can do for now, so that residents can cross,” he said.
Marwan also admitted that he was worried that if a temporary bridge was not built immediately, residents who were sick or about to give birth would have difficulty getting prompt treatment.
“That’s why we have communicated with the local health center, so that they can report in advance if there is someone who is about to give birth and prepare an ambulance to pick them up,” he said.
Four coconut tree trunks are now the only support for residents to cross the river. The coconut tree trunks were installed side by side as a temporary bridge after the main bridge collapsed.
The bridge was the only connection between Sekotong Timur village and Mareje village in Lembar sub-district. The disruption of access has halted the distribution of goods and the mobility of vehicles.
As observed by detikBali at the location on Wednesday (25/2/2026), residents were queuing on both sides of the temporary bridge. A number of residents helped the elderly and children who had difficulty crossing the coconut tree trunks over the river. Motorcycles and trucks had to be parked on both sides because they could not pass through.
A local resident, Rohidi, said that in addition to the main bridge, two other connecting bridges were also damaged due to the strong river current after it rained for three days.
(dpw/dpw)