Extremely heavy rains have been pouring down across southern Bali for more than 24 hours, resulting in serious flooding and communities in need of evacuation.
Though the peak of the rainy season has passed, heavy and persistent rain will continue through to early April.
Bali is facing one of the most extreme rainy seasons in recent history. Back in September, the rainy season arrived a month earlier than usual, bringing an intensive onslaught of storms that resulted in widespread flooding in Badung Regency, home to top destinations like Canggu, Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak, as well as Denpasar City.
With heavy rains hitting almost every regency in Bali since Friday afternoon, on Tuesday, 24th February, widespread flooding was recorded across the central south of the island. Citizen journalism social media accounts have been used with hyperlocal flood reports, and hundreds of households have been evacuated.
While spirits remain high, and with support from both government agencies and community groups, the impact of this round of flooding is yet to be fully calculated.
Tourists have been affected by the extreme weather, with both guesthouses and villas in Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, and Canggu affected by the rising flood waters. Some have been relocated to other properties while some have completely changed their vacation plans.
The Denpasar City Regional Disaster Management Agency has been working alongside the Indonesian Army to conduct evacuations in Sanur. Denpasar City BPBD TRC Coordinator, I Gusti Ketut Kartika Udayana, confirmed that evacuations were carried out on Jalan Gurita and at two other points in the neighbourhood.
He noted ”There are on Jalan Bumi Ayu, Jalan Pungutan Sanur. Many residents chose to stay at home while we evacuated. The water depth varies, with the highest being waist-high in the middle.”
Officers from the BPBD have been using rubber dinghies to evacuate families, while in other parts of the island, community members have taken matters into their own hands and have been evacuating both family members and pets on surfboards and kayaks as residential alleyways, known locally as ‘gang’, have become submerged.
Speaking to reporters, Sanur resident Made Nana, 38, said she woke up around 3 am after hearing neighbors’ screams. “My neighbors were screaming, ‘flooding, flooding.’ At that time, the water had entered the room, but it was still flat.” Adding “The mattress was wet, the refrigerator was submerged. I put some of my belongings upstairs.”
The Chief Executive of the Bali BPBD has spoken to reporters to urge the public to cooperate with agency staff and to listen to warnings and act accordingly. Gede Agung Teja Bhusana explained, “The directive is to remain vigilant regarding developments in the situation. Residents along the Bauding River should pay attention to the sound of sirens and the development of rising water levels.”
There are six sirens located along the Badung River that trigger an alarm when water levels rise to the peak and are about to burst.
Bhusana added, “The siren is working well. This morning at 3 am, it sounded once, then it turned on again around 8.30 am, meaning that the river water was rising again.”
There have been 76 major disaster incidents declared across Bali by Tuesday evening. The majority of these reports have been of flooding, with five landslides recorded, along with major tree-falling incidents.
With extreme weather warnings issued by the Bali Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, tourists in Bali are urged to check in with their travel itineraries and make the necessary changes to ensure safety in the coming days.
Tourists traveling in Bali are reminded to cooperate with disaster management agency staff and to continue to check in with the latest weather forecasts and warnings as issued by the Bali Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, which can be found on Instagram.
Tourists traveling through resort areas in the central south of Bali, including Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak, are warned of major flooding and to expect traffic delays. It is essential to leave extra time to travel to Bali Airport.
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