How Severe The Pasaman Earthquake Damaged Roads And Bridges?

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - Transportation Center (Pustrans) Institute for Research and Community Service Andalas University (Unand) Padang dispatched a team to identify damaged roads and bridges caused by the M 6.1 earthquake in Pasaman and West Pasaman Regencies.

The head of the Unand Transmigration Center, Yosritzal, PhD, said that the identification of damage to roads and bridges was motivated by information that there had been a lot of damage to roads and bridges in the two districts affected by the earthquake.

"This road damage disrupts the process of distributing aid for earthquake victims and cuts off access to transportation which can have an economic and social impact," said Yosritzal, Saturday, March 5, quoted from Antara.

This team consists of three trained students. They will use drones for surveys and process survey data.

Field Coordinator Bayu Martanto Adji explained that they are collaborating with the Transportation and Highway Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, Unand, West Sumatra Provincial Government and the Indonesian Red Crescent (BSMI) West Sumatra.

The team was in the field for two days from March 3 to 4, 2022 collecting descriptive data and visual and digital observations obtained via drone.

The use of drones was chosen because they can access areas that are inaccessible or dangerous if done directly by humans.

According to him, this data will be processed at the Transportation and Highway Laboratory of the Civil Engineering Department of Unand to then make recommendations for the best treatment to the government who is always in charge of infrastructure.

This team also increased the number of teams from Unand that contributed to restoring the situation in Pasaman and West Pasaman Regencies. Previously, the Unand disaster response team, the Unand disaster study center team and other teams had also been deployed.