Landslide Closes Tourist Road to Pusuk Sembalun, Access to the Foot of Mount Rinjani Disrupted

East Lombok - A natural disaster of a landslide closed the access road to the tourist destination of Pusuk Sembalun at the foot of Mount Rinjani, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday, February 8.

Based on the report of the West Nusa Tenggara BPBD Operations Control Center (Pusdalops), the landslide occurred around 13.00 Wita after the area was hit by heavy rain.

Heavy rainfall triggered landslides in the Pusuk Sembalun area, covering the road.

The Head of the NTB BPBD, Sadimin, said that the landslide material closed the road body along about 10 meters with a thickness of between 0.5 to 1.5 meters.

"The landslide material with a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 meters covered the road body along 10 meters," said Sadimin in Mataram, quoted from Antara.

He said that as of Sunday afternoon, the landslide material was still closing the road access to the tourist area. A joint team from the East Lombok BPBD, TNI, Polri, sub-district officers, and local village officials had been at the location to carry out initial handling.

"The urgent need at this time is heavy equipment to clean the landslide material that covers the road," he said.

Sadimin also appealed to the public to increase vigilance against the potential for extreme weather that could trigger hydrometeorological disasters, such as strong winds, floods, and landslides that could occur suddenly.

"Currently, the NTB region has entered the rainy season and some areas are in their peak period. With the potential for high-intensity rain, the public is expected to remain vigilant against the possibility of hydrometeorological disasters," he said.