Road Cut Off, Three Villages in Mapitara Isolated and Logistics Distribution Disrupted
The situation in three villages in Mapitara District, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, has not fully recovered after an earthquake and landslides struck the area.
Residents of Natakoli Village, Hale Village, and Hebing Village are now facing another problem. The main access road, which is the only link to Egon Gahar Village and the Trans Flores national road in Waigete District, is blocked by landslide material.
The road, which has long served as the lifeline for residents, is not only used for daily activities but also serves as a vital route for health services, distribution of basic necessities, and delivery of aid for disaster-affected residents.
Soil and rocks cover the road surface. A large boulder cannot yet be removed by human effort alone. The conditions mean that neither two-wheeled nor four-wheeled vehicles can pass.
The severed access has caused logistics distribution to the three villages to be disrupted. Deliveries of basic necessities and aid for earthquake-affected residents face obstacles because transport vehicles cannot use the main route.
Mapitara Sub-district Secretary Stefanus Raga said the situation is a serious concern because the road is the closest access for residents to the Egon Gahar area and the Trans Flores national road.
“This road is the only route from the three villages to Egon Gahar Village and to the Trans Flores national road in Waigete District, so it is closer to Maumere City,” Stefanus said when met at the Flores Earthquake Emergency Response Post on Thursday (20/8).
For residents in need of assistance, the road closure means distribution journeys must take a longer alternative route.
Vehicles from the three villages must detour via the southern coastal route of Flores, passing through Doreng, Bole, and Hewokloang Districts, before returning to the Trans Flores national road.
The longer travel distance makes distributing residents’ necessities difficult. This condition is particularly felt during the emergency response period when food, water, medicine, and other basic needs must reach the community promptly.
“Vehicles must take a much longer detour and the travel time is longer. People are also afraid to use that road because they could be hit by landslide material, as the area is prone to landslides,” Stefanus said.
Problems are also being felt in health services.
The Mapitara Community Health Centre ambulance, when referring patients to TC Hillers Maumere Hospital, must use the alternative route. Yet patients requiring referral need a fast and safe journey.
The severed access has also affected the relationship between residents of Egon Gahar Village and the service centre in Mapitara District. Residents from that village automatically face difficulties reaching the Mapitara Community Health Centre or the Mapitara Sub-district Office.
In the post-earthquake situation, when residents still need services and assistance, the severed road has made mobility for both the community and officials increasingly limited.
Stefanus said the sub-district has reported the road condition to the Flores Earthquake Emergency Response Post.
The sub-district government hopes heavy equipment will be sent immediately to reopen the access blocked by landslide material and the large boulder.
“I have reported it to the Flores Earthquake Emergency Response Post and hopefully heavy equipment will be sent soon so that transport access can run smoothly as before,” he said.
For residents of Natakoli, Hale, and Hebing, reopening the road is not just about smooth vehicle movement.
A reopened road means aid and logistics can reach residents more quickly. Ambulances can once again use the nearest route to transport patients, while residents can access health and government services without having to take a long detour.
As long as the road remains closed, residents in the three villages must face longer distances to meet their daily needs. Amid the post-earthquake emergency response period, road access has become one of the urgent needs so that logistics distribution and humanitarian services are not further delayed.