Prone to landslides, holiday travellers urged to be cautious on Lubuk Basung-Bukittinggi route

The Agam Regency Government (Pemkab) in West Sumatra (Sumbar) has reminded holiday travellers to increase vigilance when passing through the provincial road connecting Lubuk Basung to Bukittinggi, as there are 15 sites of past landslides and fallen soil along the route. “There are 15 points of past landslides and fallen soil along that road,” said Secretary of the Agam Transportation Agency (Dishub) Apriwandi Arlius, accompanied by the Head of the Traffic Division of Dishub Agam, Gani Basya, in Lubuk Basung on Wednesday. He stated that the 15 points of past landslides are located on the Panta Road in Matur Subdistrict to Bukittinggi via Ngarai in Ampek Koto Subdistrict, with five points. After that, from Simpang Gudang in Lubuk Basung Subdistrict to Bukittinggi via Sungai Landia in Ampek Koto Subdistrict. Due to these conditions, the Panta-Bukittinggi road can only be traversed by two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles and is not recommended for six-wheeled vehicles. The Lubuk Basung-Bukittinggi road can be used by six-wheeled vehicles. “Six-wheeled vehicles or those carrying goods have been closed for seven days before Eid al-Fitr and seven days after Eid al-Fitr,” he said. Warning signs have been installed, including alerts for landslide-prone areas, fallen soil, overtaking vehicles from below, and others. These signs inform about the road conditions affected by hydrometeorological disasters at the end of 2023. “Road conditions in Agam are prone to landslides when rainfall is quite high,” he said.