The Broken Bridge In Probolinggo Needs To Be Rebuilt Immediately, But What's Equally Important Is Investigating The Cause

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - The Probolinggo Regency Government, East Java, built two bridges between hamlets that were broken due to flash floods in Gunggugan Kidul Village, the local district.

"Currently, what needs to be done is the construction of an emergency bridge for public access to meet their daily needs", said Regent of Probolinggo, Timbul Prihanjoko, in Probolinggo on Thursday, January 20, as reported by Antara.

In addition, he continued, the Probolinggo Regency Government provided compensation through the relevant regional apparatus to families affected by flash floods and one victim who died from being swept away.

"For the repair of the bridge, I have ordered to immediately plan to rebuild the two bridges that were washed away, but this time with a different design and quality from the previous one, the minimum size must be higher", he said.

He explained that one important thing that must be of common concern is the main factor that causes flash floods which are large enough so that people are not constantly haunted every time the rainy season arrives, besides that the construction of bridges is not in vain.

"We have also asked the Chief of Police and his team to investigate whether it is true that the flash flood was the result of illegal logging or because of pure landslides on cliffs and hill contours due to heavy rain", he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Probolinggo Regency of Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (PUPR), Hengki Cahyo Saputra, said that the plan to build the two bridges will indeed be designed with a permanent building structure and much stronger than the previous one so that it lasts longer.

"For the design of the bridge in the upper part of the river, the suspension bridge design certainly is the most suitable, while for the second 18-meter bridge, a concrete bridge is needed because previously it was often damaged by floods", he said.

For repairing the four Plengsengan (latrine) points that collapsed downstream, he continued, a river flow direction building (Groyne) was needed so that when there was a large flow of water due to rain, the water hit did not go directly to the cliff again so that the life of the latrine or gabion could last a long time.

"The estimated budget for the two bridge units and the four piers is IDR 10 billion, with the estimated budget for a 50-meter suspension bridge of approximately IDR 2 billion and for a concrete bridge it is estimated to reach IDR 4 billion with a bridge width of 3 meters", he said.

The flash flood that occurred on Monday, January 7 night in Gunggugan Kidul Village, Pakuniran District, Probolinggo Regency caused two bridges connecting between hamlets to be washed away, four latrine points on the downstream part of the river were destroyed, and one person died.