December 24, 2024
BALI – Torrential downpours triggered floods on Sunday that left roads, residential areas, hotels and villas inundated across vacation spots in Bali, prompting authorities to evacuate trapped tourists using inflatable rescue boats.
The flooding affected at least a dozen locations in Kuta, Badung regency, one of the most popular tourist destinations on the resort island, where floodwaters reached up to 60 centimeters high in some areas.
Among the affected areas were Jl. Nakula and Jl. Sunset Road in the high-end shopping district of Seminyak, as well as Jl. Dewi Sri and Jl. Campuhan in surfing haven Legian.
Authorities used rubber rafts and police cars to help more than 100 tourists who wanted to either leave or reach their accommodations in the flooded areas.
The Bali Police’s head of vital object security, Adj. Comr. I Gede Putu Raka Sujana, said officers used several compact pickup trucks to help guests leave the Ramada Encore Seminyak, as the road in front of the hotel was inundated in waist-deep floodwater.
“Although in theory, guests can leave the hotel by walking through the floodwaters, it is still quite dangerous so we decided to help them,” Sujana said on Monday.
Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Made Rentin told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the flooding was caused by three consecutive days of heavy rain over the weekend.
“No injuries or casualties were reported in the incident,” Rentin said, adding that the inundation had completely subsided by Monday.
The affected areas are located near the Mati River, which has seen recurring floods for the past several years. Once known for its rice fields, the region has since been transformed into a developed area that is home to a housing complex as well as numerous hotels and villas.
Overtourism and overdevelopment have become serious issues in the province. Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) show that I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport welcomed 2.9 million foreign arrivals in the first half of this year, which accounted for 65 percent of all foreign visitors nationwide that arrived by air during the same period.
In August, then-coordinating maritime affairs and investment minister Luhut Pandjaitan said the government was planning to announce a plan “to reform” Bali’s tourism.
“We don’t want to see paddy fields become a villa or a strip club. For us, quality is more important than numbers,” he said at the time.
Luhut said the government would also tackle the island’s waste problem, improve infrastructure and prevent further overdevelopment.
Desi, an employee at one of the affected villas, said the area experienced flooding at least once a year.
“It has become a regular phenomenon,” she said, adding that all guests had left and asked for a refund.
Atik, a tourist from Surabaya who is visiting with her family, said she was shocked to find the hotel where they were staying was inundated on Sunday.
“I have visited Bali many times for a holiday, but this is the first time I experienced this kind of flooding,” she said.
Extreme weather has disrupted tourist activities in Bali in recent weeks as the province’s rainy season entered its peak in December.
Earlier this month, strong winds and heavy rains brought down trees near Prajapati Temple in Monkey Forest, a popular natural attraction in Ubud, Gianyar regency. Two foreign tourists were killed and another was severely injured in the incident.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) earlier warned that the majority of regions across the country could expect to see a 20 percent increase in rainfall intensity due to a weak La Niña, which typically brings a wetter rainy season with heavier rains to Indonesia.