West Lombok District Government Sluggish; Sekotong Residents Threaten Community Contributions to Repair Broken Road
Residents of Buwun Mas village, Sekotong subdistrict, West Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), are planning to pool funds for road repairs if the West Lombok District Government fails to take action this week. The broken road has become a critical factor in delaying emergency medical care, contributing to at least one fatality.
Rochidi, head of Buwun Mas village, said the community initiative emerged after an asthma patient had to be carried across the damaged road to reach the health centre. The patient died at Patut Patuh Patju Hospital less than a day after admission.
Residents are determined to prevent similar incidents. They plan to repair the road through community labour (gotong royong), at least on a temporary basis to enable vehicle passage.
“If the government won’t handle it, we will contribute funds or find another way. If work doesn’t begin this week, we’ll have to take action ourselves,” Rochidi stated on Friday (27 February 2026).
Rochidi confirmed he had coordinated with the West Lombok District Government. However, he noted the response received was excessively bureaucratic given the emergency circumstances.
“It’s straightforward work—why are simple matters being complicated by bureaucracy? What matters is having heavy equipment to bring soil so vehicles can pass temporarily,” he explained.
Rochidi expressed concern for residents whose access has been severed, disrupting activities for several days. Residents must undertake long journeys or pay additional fees to reach urban centres.
“The community suffers greatly. Recently, residents making large purchases had to hire vehicles from both sides of the road,” he noted.
Efforts to contact the head of the Department of Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing and Settlement (PUPRKP), Lalu Ratnawi, have been unsuccessful to date.
Previously, Ratnawi stated that initial response would be conducted by the West Lombok Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) through an emergency response scheme. Repairs will be semi-permanent to enable quick access restoration, before permanent reconstruction by PUPRKP.
“The emergency will now be handled by BPBD through semi-permanent repairs to expedite access restoration for residents. Following that, we will undertake permanent construction,” Ratnawi told detikBali on Wednesday (25 February 2026).
The deceased patient, Rendy Wisnu Saputra, 16, died on Thursday (26 February 2026) afternoon at Patut Patuh Patju Hospital in Gerung subdistrict, following his traumatic evacuation across the damaged road. His case had gone viral due to the dramatic nature of the rescue operation.
Rochidi confirmed Rendy’s death occurred after treatment at Gerung Hospital following referral from the health centre.
“Yes, he passed away at Gerung Hospital,” Rochidi said on Thursday (26 February 2026).
Rochidi noted that Rendy’s asthma condition was already severely acute and could not be saved. However, he acknowledged that delayed treatment may have contributed to the outcome, as evacuation to the health centre was time-consuming.
“The illness was already acute according to information from Gerung Hospital. However, there may have been delayed treatment—the evacuation was delayed because he had to be carried across that damaged road,” he explained.