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More areas across Papua to soon get connected
For Ferry Itlay and his fellow 200,000 residents of Nduga Regency, they used to know Kenyam, the regency capital, only by name
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For Ferry Itlay and his fellow 200,000 residents of Nduga Regency, they used to know Kenyam, the regency capital, only by name.
For many years, poor roads have prevented him from seeing the city. But, thanks to the trans-Papua highway project, people like Ferry can now visit Kenyam with ease and even explore its surrounding areas like neighboring town Wamena.
“Previously, Kenyam was so quiet. But now lots of people from various districts go there, crowding its roadsides to sell their agricultural produce,” said Ferry, who heads the regency’s National Committee of Indonesian Youth (KNPI). “Many others also come just to visit the capital.”
Having separated from Jayawijaya Regency in 2008, Nduga Regency is considered strategic for creating access to 11 remote regencies in Papua’s central mountainous areas. The regency is notoriously known as a “red zone” where attacks from Papuan armed groups often occur.
The national road developer for Papua is now building a 278.6-kilometer road connecting Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya regency, to Mumugu village, Sawaerma district, Asmat regency, which is set to reduce travel time for vehicles from 12 hours to only three. The road passes through forests, swamps and 40 waterways.
Decent roads are considered vital to pushing down the price of goods, particularly in the infamously mountainous Wamena. Road development is also expected to boost economic activity in the regions.
The construction of the Wamena-Mamugu section is part of the 4,330 km trans-Papua highway project, which costs Rp 24.32 trillion (US$1.8 billion) from 2015 to 2017. To be completed in 2019, the project stretches across Sorong, West Papua province, to Merauke, Papua province, the easternmost region of the sprawling
archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.
Of the highway’s total distance, 10 sections spanning 3,259 km are located in Papua, while the remaining two sections spanning 1,070 km is situated in West Papua.
As of year-end 2016, the roads that had been connected totaled 2,792 km in Papua and 1,058 in West Papua, taking the overall figure to 3,851 km.
Therefore, 479 km of road remain unconnected in both provinces. This year, the Public Work and Public Housing Ministry aims to construct another 143 km, after it recently finished 231 km last year.
The development of the section linking Wamena and Mamugu would be a priority for this year, Public Work and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said.
National road developer for Papua head Osman Marbun said the construction of the Wamena-Mamugu section needed to finish building another 35 bridges out of a total 55.
The total unconnected roads across Papua province span 467 km, or 14.3 percent of the overall figure in the province, comprising sections bordering West Papua to Nabire (67 km), Wagete-Timika (6.5 km), Enarotali-Ilaga-Mulia-Wamena (180 km), Kenyam-Dekai 151 kilometer, and Wamena-Elelim-Jayapura (61 km).
Osman further boasted about the significant impact of the road on local residents.
“Formerly, people in Mbuwa [district] used to walk 90 kilometers to reach Wamena. But now, they can go by car,” he said. Mbuwa district came under media spotlight in 2015 when 41 children died because of pertussis, or whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory disease.
Gadjah Mada University economist Tony Prasetiantono said the infrastructure development would indeed reduce the high price of goods in Papua.
“The biggest problem in Papua is the insane [high] price of goods like cement and fuel compared to other islands. [With the trans-Papua highway], the cost of living and inflation can be reduced,” he said.
Tony added that the development of roads in the area would also add to the appeal of Papua for investors, which consequently would spur economic growth and create jobs.
