The Ministry Of PUPR Will Reconnect The Besuk Kobokan Bridge Which Was Destroyed By The Semeru Eruption

JAKARTA - Head of the Data and Information Technology Center of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Nazib Faizal said he would reconnect the Besuk Kobokan Bridge which was damaged by the eruption of Mount Semeru.

"The Ministry of PUPR will reconnect the bridge waiting for the situation to subside or the BNPB (National Disaster Management Agency) direction that the eruption is safe enough. Now, we are worried that there will be a lot of follow-ups," said Faizal, quoted by Antara, Monday, December 6.

The Besuk Kobokan Bridge, which is located on the Turen-Lumajang National Road section, was built in 1997 with a length of 129 meters and a width of 9.6 meters. The bridge is 68.5 kilometers from Turen.

This bridge will be repaired because it is the main route connecting Lumajang City with Malang. Because it can't be started, Faizal can't predict when the bridge reconnection will be completed.

"If we look at the morphology, it is quite challenging to rebuild this bridge. Of course, PUPR will rebuild and will pay attention if one day there will be a cold lava flood or an eruption like yesterday," he said.

If it is absolutely certain that it is safe from further eruptions, the Ministry of PUPR will deploy officers to make repair designs.

"For the time being, I honestly can't say right now because the team is analyzing when it can be built and finished while waiting for the eruption to end and be stable so that friends can analyze and design safely," continued Faizal.

He will also see if it is possible to construct a makeshift bridge so that it can be completed more quickly.

"Because indeed using the bailey emergency bridge, there will be limitations. With a length of 129 meters, of course this is a very challenging job if you want to install an emergency bridge, but for sure PUPR will rebuild the bridge because this is the main logistics route from Lumajang to Malang," said Faizal.