Police send sea aid to 234 Nggilat families after road access fails
Police in Manggarai Barat sent food, hygiene supplies and blankets by sea to 234 disaster-affected families in Nggilat village on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, after damaged roads made land access difficult for vehicles.
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· Event date: · 4 min read
Labuan Bajo — Police in Manggarai Barat regency have sent food and basic supplies by sea to 234 families in Nggilat village after land access was deemed too difficult for motor vehicles, according to local media reports and police statements on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.
The assistance was organised by Manggarai Barat Police following information on social media that residents in Nggilat, Macang Pacar district, were struggling to obtain staple goods after a disaster, according to the police chief as quoted by RRI and Tribunnews regional coverage.
Police said the delivery was intended to secure basic food and sanitation needs for affected households, with priority given to vulnerable residents such as infants, women and older people.
Officers from the water and air unit Satpolairud arranged sea transport by hiring a local motorised boat, known as a ketinting, to reach the coastal settlement.
According to these reports, the shipment left the Manggarai Barat Police headquarters at around 16:00 WITA by pickup truck for Ketentang Beach in Batu Cermin village, Komodo district.
At approximately 17:30 WITA, the goods arrived at the beach and were transferred to the ketinting for the sea crossing to Nggilat.
AKBP Christian Kadang, head of Manggarai Barat Police, said officers moved quickly after receiving reports of limited logistics and chose the maritime route because the village’s damaged land access could not be passed by two- and four-wheeled vehicles.
He said the initiative aimed to support communities affected by the disaster in Flores, with the sea route considered the fastest option under current conditions.
What was delivered
Media reporting from Manggarai Barat lists a mixed cargo of staple food, infant supplies, hygiene items and bedding prepared for the 234 households.
- 135 sacks of rice weighing five kilograms each
- 22 boxes containing staple-food packages
- 20 boxes of instant noodles
- 10 boxes of Kelapa Hijau biscuits and five boxes of Roma biscuits
- 10 boxes of bottled mineral water
- 10 boxes of baby formula, three boxes of baby diapers and 11 boxes of sanitary pads
- 10 boxes of facial tissue, five boxes of dry tissue and four boxes of wet tissue
- 540 blankets
Both outlets report that the aid was assembled for families affected by a disaster, with Tribunnews specifying that the operation targeted residents hit by an earthquake in Flores.
Neither report breaks down how the cargo was divided per household or provides the monetary value of the shipment.
Nggilat village head Elias Firdaus Jani told RRI that the assistance was urgently needed because residents still depended on sea access while road conditions remained difficult.
He said the village government would distribute the aid transparently to all affected residents and ensure that supplies reached those most in need.
Access remains the central challenge
The operation highlights how transport constraints shape disaster response in coastal and island communities in western Flores.
Police and village officials both point to damaged or difficult roads as the reason sea transport was used instead of conventional vehicle access to Nggilat.
According to Kadang, the maritime route using a rented local boat was chosen as the quickest way to deliver food, water and blankets to the village under current conditions.
While these reports confirm one major shipment on 2 September 2026, they do not detail how often boats can reach Nggilat or whether additional deliveries have been scheduled.
They also do not specify whether neighbouring communities are seeking similar support or provide information on sea conditions during the crossing.
Context
The sea delivery took place on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.
Logistics were dispatched from Manggarai Barat Police headquarters at about 16:00 WITA, then transported by road to Ketentang Beach in Batu Cermin village, Komodo district, and loaded onto a hired ketinting around 17:30 WITA for the trip to Nggilat.
According to reports, the initiative was triggered by online complaints from coastal residents and was framed by police as part of wider assistance to communities affected by the Flores earthquake.
Sources
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