Plunge: A view of the plunging pillar of Cipamingkis bridge in Bogor regency, West Java.

The Cipamingkis Bridge, also known as the Jagaita Jonggol Bridge, snapped after one of its pillars plunged 1.5 meters, on April 13.

The bridge, which was built in 1985 in Bogor regency, West Java, had been experiencing severe erosion on account of the heavy current in the Cipamingkis River.

Jagaita village residents, who live on the banks of the river, and villagers from other villages across the river came together to build an emergency bridge.

They tried to build a bridge using bamboo but their efforts were futile owing to continuous heavy rain in the area on April 14. In the morning, their hard work had been washed away by the heavy current of the river.

However, the villagers did not give up because they desperately needed a bridge. Without one, it would take far longer for them to get to school or work across the river.

They returned to the river and collected rocks of various sizes to be made into pillars.

They made four pillars of cobble stones taken from the river but they still could not install the bridge.

The work of the villagers began to show results on Monday. They erected a semi-permanent bridge that they could use to get across the river. Most of the villagers use motorcycles to get across the semi-permanent bridge and they ride very slowly to avoid an accident.

To prevent the semi-permanent bridge from getting washed away by the heavy river current, villagers take turns uninstalling and reinstalling it during the night. This is very dangerous work because at night there is no sufficient lighting available in the area.

— Photos by JP/PJ Leo

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