More and more devastation is being reported by the hour in Bali as a result of one of the most intense rainy seasons in recent history.
Flash flooding has claimed the lives of local residents, falling trees have killed tourists, and flood waters have now caused a Bali Zoo elephant to drown.
Leaders are calling on the public and tourists to take weather warnings seriously and consider rescheduling some vacation activities as more bad weather is forecast.
On Monday, 16th December, an elephant belonging to Bali Zoo was swept away by flash flooding. The 30-year-old Sumatran elephant, named Molly, was found 3km away from where she was walking with her mahout.
Though Bali Zoo has yet to release a statement, Sukawati Police Chief Kompol I Ketut Suaka Purnawasa has told the media that Molly was swept away by flood water as she was being walked back to her enclosure. The elephant was found lodged between rocks and flood debris in the early hours of Tuesday morning along the banks of the Cengcengan River.
The Head of Emergency and Logistics Department of the Disaster Management Agency for Gianyar Regency, I Gusti Ngurah Dibya Presasta, told reporters, “BPBD Gianyar Regency has not been able to help with evacuation, because elephants have a weight that does not play around which requires evacuation to be carried out specifically by professionals. It is necessary to find a solution to lift when the elephant’s position is successfully found.”
Last week, two tourists were killed by a falling tree at Ubud’s Sacred Monkey Forest, and a third person was seriously injured.
Local leaders have also confirmed the death of a 10-year-old boy who was killed during a flash flood as he walked home from school. A local fisherman was also killed when he was struck by lightning while seeking shelter from a storm under a shala at Sanur’s Mertasari Beach on Sunday, 15th December.
Footage recorded at the world-famous Tegenungan Waterfall on 16th December shows torrents upon torrents of flood water powering through the waterfall and the river bursting its banks.
Tourists should be aware that Bali’s most popular waterfalls could be closed to the public at a moment’s notice this rainy season as widespread flooding continues to impact the island’s waterways.
Leaders from the Bali Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) are calling on tourists to download the BMKG App to receive up-to-the-minute notifications and weather warnings directly to their devices.
The update was announced by the Head of BMKG, RI Dwikorita Karnawati, during a meeting with the Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, at the Bali Governor’s Office in Denpasar on Sunday afternoon.
He said, “Early warning will be delivered to the sub-district level, complete with time and duration so that tourists can manage their time and adapt to the weather.”
He revealed that heavy rainfall is expected to prolong the rainy season, with heavy rains forecast through til the end of April 2025, where a ‘short’ rainy season would typically conclude in March.
Dwikorita explained, “From a number of these factors, rain with high to very high intensity has the potential to cause disasters such as landslides or floods if not mitigated properly. Almost the entire Bali area will be affected by La Nina, which brings this wet wind.”
The Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, told reporters, “We try to socialize information, weather forecasts, and potential disaster risks so that people are more aware of the latest conditions. With this warning, the public will be more vigilant.”
He reiterated that he and his teams are coordinating with the BMKG to ensure disaster mitigation plans are in place to secure the safety and comfort of local residents and tourists in Bali, especially before the Christmas and New Year holidays.
He added, “We will socialize more massively so that the public can continue to monitor weather forecasts through applications that are updated periodically. In fact, early warnings are delivered a week before and repeated three days to three hours before the extreme weather event. This is very important.”
He concluded by emphasizing the importance of weather forecasts for tourists to help them schedule their routes and visit times to tourist attractions on the island.
Acting Governor Jaya said, “I ask the Head of Tourism and the Head of BPBD Bali to immediately follow up on this matter. We will also gather sub-district heads and tourist villages to socialize this.”
Tourists can download the ‘Info BMKG’ app from the Apple App Store and the Google Playstore. Updates are also published daily on the Bali BMKG Instagram page.
Remove All Ads & Unlock All Articles… Sign up for The Bali Sun Premium
Plan Your Bali Holiday:
Book The Best English Speaking Drivers For Airport Transfers & Tours
Choose From Thousands of Bali Hotels, Resorts, and Hostels with Free Cancellation On Most Properties
Book Cheap Flights To Bali
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance That Covers Medical Expenses In Bali
For the latest Bali News & Debate Join our Facebook Community
SUBSCRIBE TO NEW POSTS
Enter your email address to subscribe to The Bali Sun’s latest breaking news, straight to your inbox.
Exp
Tuesday 17th of December 2024
2 days ago: One local dude taking shelter under a gazebo at Mertasari beach died from lightning strike.
People need to realize that lightning protection is not commonly installed here (metal pipe on the roof connected to ground). At least from what I have seen.
Clearly people here are not educated that shelter under trees or in this case a gazebo/bale is not safe.
Shorty
Sunday 22nd of December 2024
@Ex Australia averages 5-10 lightning deaths and around 100 injuries a year. Many happen in places where a lightning conductor isn't present or possible.
Randy
Thursday 19th of December 2024
@Exp, it’s an isolated incident why generalizing a whole population of Bali as uneducated???? There are also idiots and uneducated people down in Australia and worse when some of those take vacations here in Bali and behave as if Bali is a free for all place and the local laws do NOT apply to them. Sigh...