Prevent Abrasion, Security Barriers Installed at Loang Baloq Beach Mataram NTB

Mataram - The Mataram City Government (Pemkot) in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province has started to install coastal protection embankments using boulders in the Loang Baloq Beach tourist area to prevent erosion.

"This step was taken as a quick response to the high level of abrasion due to extreme weather that hit the region in recent weeks," said Head of the Mataram City Tourism Office (Dispar) Cahya Samudra in Mataram, Thursday, quoted by Antara.

According to him, the activities carried out by the Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) Office in installing the boulder are currently focused on the northern area of Loang Baloq Beach, because it is the area most affected by the high tide.

The plan is that the boulder embankment will be installed along the Loang Baloq coast with a length of almost 300 meters.

Cahya admitted that the abrasion condition that occurred had not permanently damaged the physical condition of the building, but had begun to threaten coastal vegetation.

Moreover, the trees on the edge of the beach began to erode, and it was feared that the abrasive material would enter the tourist pool area if it was not immediately handled.

The abrasion that occurred at the end of January 2026, has not yet damaged tourist facilities including the iconic 'Loang Baloq' writing which is the most western.

"But we feel the need to add more volume of boulder embankments to the south side to strengthen coastal defenses so that they do not enter or damage the pool facilities," he said.

So far, the installation of boulder stones carried out on the north side of Loang Baloq, has proven effective in slowing the wave rate so that it does not immediately pull the beach sand into the middle of the sea.

"In addition, the embankment also serves as a container for waste sent from the sea," he said.

In connection with this, his party hopes that there will be an expansion of the installation of boulder embankments to a number of other tourist destinations to the southern part of Gading Beach, not just stopping at Loang Baloq.

"Our hope is that the Mataram coastline from north to south on the Gading Beach can be equipped with boulders as security because all of them are tourist destinations," he said.