The Jakarta Post, June 20, 2006
Broken bridges disrupt transportation in Maluku
M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
A least nine bridges on Seram Island in Maluku have been badly damaged by
flooding, disrupting land transportation linking Masohi in Central Maluku regency to
other regencies.
About 150 kilometers of roads in t! he southern part of the island are inaccessible by
motorcycle or car, as at least eight bridges have been damaged by heavy flooding
over the past month.
People have been forced to cross the rivers in the absence of bridges.
In Central Maluku, three bridges have been damaged. One is at Sepa village in
Amahai district. The damage is actually not so serious, but if not repaired soon the
bridge may totally collapse.
The worst damage is seen at Waehaya bridge, about 20 kilometers from Tehoru.
Transportation between Masohi and Tehoru has been totally disrupted, with
passengers forced to take motorcycle taxis on alternative routes.
Another bridge -- Waemanawa -- in Tehoru district is also unusable. The bridge had
actually been damaged since last year, but no repair work has been done.
"Anyone intending to go to Tehoru is forced to change vehicles three times, including
motorcycle taxis, and the whole journey takes hours," Rusbandi Silawane, a resident
of Tehoru, said Monday.
He said that the damaged bridges had pushed up transportation costs from Masohi to
Tehoru from only Rp 40,000 (US$4.21) to between Rp 55,000 and Rp 60,000 at
present per passenger.
"That amount does not include charges imposed by local residents, who ask for
compensation for two iron bars they placed on a nearby bridge. They ask for Rp 2,000
per passenger and Rp 5,000 if the passenger brings luggage," Rusbandi said.
Besides the Masohi-Tehoru route, the recent flooding has also damaged the
Masohi-Kariratu route in Western Seram regency, where six bridges are damaged and
impassable, namely Waenari, Waeuwe, Waeifa, Waemala, Waesau and
Waehulauew.
The damage to the bridges has been detrimental to the local economy, especially for
those who work as public bus and minivan drivers.
Besides linking villages in the southern part of Seram Island, the road is an economic
artery as it links Ambon and Masohi.
"We have difficulty sending goods from Ambon to Central Maluku," said Baharudin, a
truck driver, who parked his vehicle at Yos Sudarso Port in Ambon.
A similar complaint was voiced by Buce Pesireron, a driver of a minivan plying the
Kairatu-Masohi route. Due to the broken bridge the drivers could only drive until
Sapaloni or half the journey.
"As we can only serve half the route, our income has dropped by 20 percent," Buce
said, adding that passengers, who used to pay Rp 52,000 per trip, now paid only Rp
35,000 and then took other means of transportation to reach their destination.
Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu visited the broken bridges last week.
"We have entrusted the repair work on the broken bridges to the province's public
works office," Ralahalu said.
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