Manggarai Barat moves 8.12 tonnes of rice to northern coastal communities

Labuan Bajo — The Manggarai Barat administration and national agencies have delivered more than eight tonnes of rice and other basic supplies to earthquake-affected communities along the regency’s northern coast, focusing on island and coastal villages reached mainly by sea according to local government and tourism authority statements.

The district government described the operation as targeting communities in the northern coastal area that were difficult to reach over land, with logistics moved largely by boat according to an official update published on the regency’s information portal on 19 August 2026.

In that distribution stage, authorities sent rice, bottled drinking water and ready-to-eat food using vessels from the Water Police, the Indonesian Navy detachment in Labuan Bajo, Komodo National Park, the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority, Immigration, the Harbourmaster and Port Authority, search-and-rescue teams and the regency administration, according to the same statement and a release by the tourism authority.

Island destinations and quantities

Government and tourism authority reports state that five northern coastal locations were covered in the joint operation: Pulau Seraya, Pulau Boleng, Pulau Longos, Pulau Medang and Rangko.

According to the Manggarai Barat government’s information service, Pulau Seraya received 1.5 tonnes of rice carried on a Water Police vessel, Pulau Boleng received 1.5 tonnes transported by two Indonesian Navy vessels, Pulau Longos (Desa Pontianak) received 2,120 kilograms using a combined fleet from Komodo National Park, the tourism authority and Immigration, Pulau Medang received 1.5 tonnes moved by Harbourmaster and search-and-rescue vessels, and Rangko received 1.5 tonnes delivered by road in a regency government vehicle.

The reported quantities total 8.12 tonnes of rice sent to these northern coastal destinations in that phase of assistance, according to the two official accounts.

Both sources note that the shipments also included drinking water in containers and ready-to-eat meals, but do not provide a breakdown of how those items were divided among the islands and coastal communities.

Sea-access challenges to Longos

The tourism authority’s account of the operation reports that the delivery to Pulau Longos faced sea-access difficulties linked to tidal and sea conditions.

According to that description, the speedboat used for the operation was unable to approach the jetty at the target village because the water was too shallow at low tide, while an alternative route was affected by relatively high waves.

The distribution team coordinated with residents and used a locally owned open-deck boat to complete the last leg, transferring the rice and other supplies from the larger vessel offshore before moving them to the community, the authority said.

The available official reports do not state whether similar transfers were required at other destinations during this northern coastal operation.

Officials call for joint effort

In the tourism authority’s release, acting president director Andhy M.T. Marpaung said the organisation was supporting the local government’s efforts to accelerate the delivery of basic necessities to island and coastal communities affected by the Flores earthquake.

He described the geography of the regency’s islands and coastal settlements as requiring cooperation between agencies, close coordination and adjustments to conditions in the field, and underlined that the authority’s vessels and personnel were part of a broader joint operation.

The Manggarai Barat administration has reported separate distributions of rice and other assistance to inland and other coastal areas of the regency; local media and national agencies have also documented additional rice allocations and emergency aid for Manggarai Barat and other districts on Flores in the weeks after the earthquake.

Sources

• Infomabar – Manggarai Barat Regency Government information service
• Badan Pelaksana Otorita Labuan Bajo Flores (BPOLBF) – official news release