One of Bali’s biggest open landfill sites is burning. A fire broke out around 11 a.m. on Thursday 12th October.
Over the past 24 hours, firefighters and teams from the National Disaster Agency have been working around the clock to bring the blaze under control.
The Suwung TPA sits in South Denpasar, just 6.5km west of the popular family vacation resort at Sanur Beach, 7.5 km from Kuta Beach, and 11km from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
Residents and tourists around Bali have taken to social media in the last 24 hours to show video footage of the plumes of smoke billowing from the landfill site.
The wind has continued to blow in a westerly and northwesterly direction, blowing the smog over Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak, and as far as Canggu. Areas like Sanur and Ubud have so far been spared from the impacts of the smoke due to the wind direction.
An operation remains underway to tackle the blaze. Excavators and loaders have been deployed to cut fire break lines through the mountain of waste.
Firetruck after firetruck loaded with water has been hosing the flames. Over the next few hours, helicopters will be deployed to water bomb the site from above.
The Head of the National Disaster Agency for Bali, Made Rentin, told reporters on Friday “update on the condition of the Suwung TPA fire, until the early morning, efforts to extinguish it are still being carried out. The team is on standby at the most to monitor developments in the conditions.”
Since the westerly winds continue to blow, the flames continue to spread towards residential areas that sit right on the border of the landfill site.
Firefighters have been stationed close to the settlements as a precautionary measure.
The Suwung TPA site covers around 32 hectares of land. The Head of the Bali Provincial Forestry and Environmental Agency, I Made Teja, told reporters that 20-30% of the site has been impacted by the fire.
Concerns are growing for the communities living close to the landfill site as air quality remains at dangerous levels.
Since the landfill is so close to Bali Airport, officials are in close communication with the disaster agency monitoring the impact of the smoke on air traffic control.
The General Manager of Bali Airport, Handy Heryudhitiawan, told a reporter “In response to the burning incident at the Suwung landfill we can say that in accordance with the coordination with Air Navigation colleagues, visual aberrations are not hampered and are clear.”
Rentin also added, “The fire is quite large and the smoke is rising high, but so far it is still under control and has not disturbed public activities, especially at Ngurah Rai International Airport.”
There are other fires, big and small, happening all around the island right now. As the dry season progresses and farmers burn their rice fields, some communities burn trash, and in dry landscapes wildfires rage on, as well as a temple fire in Sibang Kaja in Abiansemal close to Ubud.
The Regent of Badung, I Nyoman Giri Prasta, issued statements following the temple fire in Sibang Kaja. The temple’s most important structures have been destroyed and over IDR 3 billion of damage has been caused.
Regent Prasta explained, “For the fire, the temporary suspicion is that the cause of the fire was a fire that came from burning rubbish. So the center of the fire was to the east of the temple.”
In Klungkung Regency firefighters have been battling a fire at an artificial woodwork workshop. The warehouse owner is thought to have incurred IDR 700 million in damages.
The fire is believed to have been sparked by an electrical short circuit. The flames were under control by mid-morning on Friday.
Another video circulating online on Friday afternoon shows an uncontrolled fire in a rice paddy in a residential part of Denpasar. The fire is believed to have started as a burning trash pile that then caught on over the field.
Up in the hills surrounding Mount Agung and Mount Batur wildfires continue to spread. Data collected by the National Disaster Management Agencies in Bali shows that in the last three weeks, 730 hectares of land in Karangasem Regency have been scorched by wildfires.
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Shorty
Monday 16th of October 2023
Why weren't/aren't vents being included to allow decomposition gases to escape?
Exp
Sunday 15th of October 2023
16/10, another landfill fire, this time in Mandung landfill in Tabanan. Rather large with a huge local housing complex located 50 meter away. 7km inland so unlikely many tourists are affected. Foreigners do not know how the locals are organization things here, Just terrible.
C
Sunday 15th of October 2023
Bali or India? What's the worse s***hole? I'd say Bali because the advertising of it being "paradise" adds insult to injury. Even if the local people aren't defacating on the streets, all the rabid dogs and cats are. Island of the Gods? Are these gods the gods of stink? They should take a shower because this island smells like a dump. Well...that's because it literally is one.
Ernesto
Wednesday 18th of October 2023
@C,
Oh My god. Why did I retire here? I want to cry. I can't breath. i can't drive to the store the traffic is so bad. The streets are full of tattooed Ukrainians and Russian draft dodgers. Its horrible.
C
Monday 16th of October 2023
@Jwest, They fool plenty of well-intentioned travelers with advertising. That was the case with me. AirBnB made it look like heaven.
Jwest
Monday 16th of October 2023
@C, Paradise? That was 30 years ago. Today the garbage and raw sewage washing down onto the beaches , the crime, drugs, the spiteful disregard? Only the least intelligent travelers would choose Bali as a destination. Bali is more like an old whore stanff doing in the dark, who can’t cover the syphillis pustules and scars on her face with make up anymore and has to use heavy plasters to disguise the true horror under the sheets.
Wayan Mataram
Friday 13th of October 2023
Were there efforts done to prevent fire at MSW landfill? By Collecting and Treating Landfill Gas Instead of escaping into the air, LFG can be captured, converted, and used as a renewable energy resource. Using LFG helps to reduce odors and other hazards associated with LFG emissions, and prevents methane from migrating into the atmosphere and contributing to local smog and global climate change. In addition, LFG energy projects generate revenue and create jobs in the community and beyond. Learn more about the benefits of using LFG...LINK
Wayan Mataram
Friday 13th of October 2023
Were there efforts done to prevent fire at MSW landfill? LINK