Flooded Bridge Damaged, Officers Help Students Cross The Garut Cimanuk River With Inflatable Boats

GARUT - On the first day of school, officers from the police, TNI, and the Regional Disaster Management Agency in Garut Regency, West Java Province, helped students cross the Cimanuk River using inflatable boats when they went to and came home from school because the bridge they used to use was damaged by floods.

The police, TNI, and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) are on standby at the Cimanuk River on the border of the Karangpawitan and Banyuresmi sub-districts to help students cross the river on their way to and from school.

"We from the National Police have prepared rubber boats from the Satpolair, there are also BPBDs and FAJI (Indonesian Rafting Federation), because many children from Karangpawitan are studying in Banyuresmi," said Garut Police Chief AKBP Wirdhanto Hadicaksono while reviewing the ranks of the police helping students cross the river. BETWEEN, Monday, July 18th.

"Our goal is simple, how to keep students in school on their first day," he said.

The police received information regarding the damage to the bridge connecting the Karangpawitan District with Banyuresmi District on Friday (15/7).

According to him, around 70 students from Karangpawitan sub-district used to use the bridge to cross the Cimanuk River to Banyuresmi sub-district.

Wirdhanto said that the police and the TNI are planning to help build an emergency bridge so residents can safely cross the Cimanuk River.

"Pak Dandim Garut will prepare a bailey bridge in coordination with Zipur," he said.

In addition to deploying officers and boats to help students cross the Cimanuk River, he explained, the police deployed vehicles to pick up school students in the Garut Kota sub-district who could not use shortcuts because the bridge connecting Muara Sanding with Dayeuh Handap was broken.

"Indeed, there are two bridges that have broken, namely in Banyuresmi and Garut Kota. But we are also on standby in several other places for official vehicles so that they can take students to school if needed," he said.

Residents are grateful that the police, TNI, and other government agencies helped take students to school and pick up students from school when the bridge was damaged.

"When I found out there was a broken bridge, I was confused, because if I took another road, it could take a long time to get to school," said Odas (38), a student's parent.

"Thank God the children were able to go to school on the first day of school after a long holiday," he said.