One village in Jambi isolated due to road buried by landslide

The government will endeavour to open the road access using heavy equipment owned by local residents or companies in the Jangkat area.

Merangin, Jambi (ANTARA) - Desa Koto Rawang in Jangkat Subdistrict, Merangin Regency, Jambi Province, has become isolated due to a landslide that buried the connecting road to the area on Thursday (7/5).

The landslide at three points buried the entire road surface and damaged a bridge leading to the village with a population of around 250 people.

“We are endeavouring to do so; the regency government’s equipment cannot penetrate access to there, the road cannot accommodate vehicles for moving heavy equipment (trucks). We are currently seeking heavy equipment in the vicinity,” said the Head of the Public Works and Public Housing Department of Merangin Regency, Risdiansyah, in Merangin on Friday.

He assured that the government will endeavour to open the road access using heavy equipment owned by residents or companies in the Jangkat area.

“That road is the only access in and out to there (Koto Rawang); there is no other road. The bridge may be temporarily replaced by the village with an emergency bridge,” he added briefly.

The Acting Head of the Merangin BPBD, Muhamad Sahiri, stated that there are three landslide points that have completely paralysed access to Desa Koto Rawang.

“According to our team, the three landslide points are about 100 metres long, with landslide material fully covering the road surface, making it completely impassable. The road conditions are also muddy and very slippery,” he said.

In addition to the landslide, Sahiri added that high rainfall intensity caused a connecting bridge to the village to be swept away by the river current.

“In the near future, according to the department head, the Merangin Public Works Department will soon deploy its heavy equipment to the three landslide points along the road to Desa Koto Rawang,” he revealed.