Residents Halt Road Repair Work at Broken Road in West Lombok
The West Lombok District Government (Pemkab) has begun addressing a broken road in Buwun Mas Village, Sekotong District, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. However, residents have halted the field team attempting to repair this village connecting road.
Video of the residents’ rejection went viral on social media. Residents argued that road repairs using sand-filled sacks are ineffective and risk collapsing again.
Sekotong Police Chief (Kapolsek) Iptu I Ketut Suriarta revealed that the broken road section is located adjacent to a previously collapsed road that failed again despite sand-bag filling treatment.
“The community does not want it handled that way, it will not last anyway, it will collapse again, that is what the residents told me,” said Suriarta on Monday (2 March 2026).
According to Suriarta, residents want the road repaired using heavy equipment directly. Residents fear the road will become increasingly vulnerable if only filled with sand-filled sacks amid the current unpredictable weather.
“The residents are willing to work together on repairs, they are worried that weather like this will make the road even more dangerous if only sand sacks are used,” he explained. Despite the opposition, Suriarta assured that the situation remains under control.
The Head of the Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing and Settlement Department (PUPRKP) of West Lombok, Lalu Ratnawi, stated that road repairs are being carried out by the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). He explained that the repairs are only a short-term measure to restore access for residents.
“After that we (PUPRKP) will construct a permanent solution,” said Ratnawi.
The connecting road between Taman Baru Village and Buwun Mas Village, Sekotong District, West Lombok, was completely severed by a landslide on 25 February. The landslide was triggered by substantial water flow from the hilly areas, which resulted from heavy rainfall over the previous three days.
The road section is frequently affected by landslides during heavy rain. However, the current condition is considered the most severe as vehicle access has been completely cut off.