The Riau provincial legislature has urged the central government to immediately build a new road connecting the province with neighboring West Sumatra, after a landslide last month forced the closure of a stretch of the existing highway.
Riau legislative speaker for Commission C, Yulios, said the stretch of the national highway from Kampar regency to the border of West Sumatra was especially prone to annual landslides due to the area's unstable soil.
"This is from puerly natural causes. The central government should find a solution because the cost of repairs is not cheap, it is forced to set aside an annual budget for such purposes," he told The Jakarta Post recently.
"It's not easy to build a new road but we must consider the long-term function of the route."
According to Yulios, the new highway will be part of the main distribution route for basic necessities for the larger part of Riau. Natural incidences along the route, he said, would automatically have an impact on the prices of basic commodities.
"This section of the national highway network is one of the busiest, because Riau depends a great deal on West Sumatra for a range of basic necessities.
"Given its vital role, it's about time the Riau provincial administration lobbied the central government and forced action to overcome the problem," Yulios said.
Acting Riau provincial secretary Herliyan Saleh also expressed hope that the new route could be constructed soon.
"We hope the central government will pay attention and find the best solution to mitigate the recurring landslides," said Herliyan.
"The provincial administration cannot build a new route because it falls under the jurisdiction of the central government."
Herliyan did not deny the high cost of constructing the new road.
"But a better road would guarantee the safety of road users," he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to repair the damaged section of the road in Kampar regency have been hampered because heavy machinery still cannot reach the area.
"Only two bulldozers are currently on stand-by near the location, while two others, to be used to contour land, are still stranded in Kuantan Singingi regency. The trucks carrying both machines are still hesitant to cross the wooden bridge, which has been submerged by floods in the area," said Ali Umar, who is overseeing the repairs.
According to Ali, one of the short-term solutions for repairing the road is to contour the hills along one side of the road where almost the whole thing has collapsed into the Kampar River.
"The stretch of road that has collapsed spans 48 meters. Only 1.8 meters of the 8 meter width of the road remains. According to plans, 75 meters of the cliff will be shaved to prevent the road from being eroded by the river," he said.
Since the landslide, the local police have rerouted traffic to West Sumatra via Teluk Kuantan, Kuantan Singingi regency in Riau, to Kiliranjao in Sijunjung regency in West Sumatra.
"We will do our utmost to repair the road so people no longer have to take the alternative road which is farther," said Ali.
The detour between Pekanbaru and Bukittinggi has doubled the four hours it normally takes when using the regular route.
TheJakartaPost
