Bali watching the earthquake situation
Someome once said to me that Balinese culture was much like the scenery, beautiful elegant people dressed in sarongs, glidding across manicured rice terraces, a picture of paradise…then you realize we are on a fault line, with volcanoes that can explode at any moment. I reckon that’s quite a comparison.
In the last couple of years Indonesia has has 2 majt tsunami’s, massive earthquakes including the 7.8 trembler on Nias, volcanoes threatening to blow (Merapi) and landslides. Miraculously Bali has not been directly affected, but our turn could come. Here’s what the Jakarta Post has to say.
‘Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
The relatively minor earthquake that hit the coastal city of Singaraja, about 90 kilometers north of the Bali capital Denpasar, last Sunday rattled quite a few nerves on an island that is heavily dependent on the tourist industry for its economic survival.
While the 3.7 magnitude quake in the old port city was minor compared to the 6.6 temblor that struck North and Central Sulawesi two hours earlier, it served as a stark warning to Bali of the potential dangers if a major quake did strike.
Bagus Sudibya, chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, warned local administrations that there was no time to waste in drawing up emergency plans to deal with possible natural disasters, including tsunamis.
Pointing to the July 17 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the tourist resort of Pangandaran on the southern coast of West Java, Sudibya reminded authorities most tourist facilities and infrastructure in Bali were located along the southern coast of the island, facing the Indian Ocean, which has been proven tragically vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.
“We have hundreds of luxury hotels, villas, entertainment centers, malls and other tourist sites along these areas, including Kuta, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Berawa, Dreamland Beach, Seminyak. They are the center of the island’s tourist sites,” he said.
In addition, thousands of local residents and fishermen live and work along the southern coast.
The government and concerned agencies, including the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, must be more proactive in delivering urgent information related to natural disasters, he said.
“In Bali, hundreds of thousands of foreign and domestic visitors spend their holiday along these favorite areas. We must be responsible for the safety of our guests, as well as of our residents. Prompt action and accurate information is urgently needed to prevent unnecessary casualties,” Sudibya said.
The months of July, August and September are Bali’s peak tourist season. Around one million foreign visitors come to Bali every year.
One local official is taking steps to anticipate future emergencies. Denpasar Mayor Anak Agung Poespayoga has set up the Natural Disaster Emergency and Relief Team, which involves government officials, search and rescue experts, members of the Indonesian Red Cross and community members. The team will be on-call 24 hours a day.
Poespayoga also said officials would work to get out information on natural disasters to villages and schools in the area.
“Around 5,000 booklets containing tips and information on earthquakes and tsunamis, and what to do in the event of one, will be delivered to school students and government agencies starting this week,” the mayor said.
On Saturday a number of village heads in Kuta and Jimbaran asked the local authorities to provide them with clear and accurate information on earthquakes and tsunamis.
“We live along the coast in Kuta and Jimbaran, surrounded by beaches, yet we do not know what to do if there is a disaster. No one from the government has ever given us guidance or information,” said Made Narka from the Banjar Kedonganan fishing village in Jimbaran Bay.
He said fishermen in Bali were worried about a tsunami similar to the one in Pangandaran. This fear was only heightened by the earthquake in Singaraja.
While Bali was not affected by the disaster in Pangandaran, Meteorology and Geophysics Agency officials in Jakarta, as well as officials at Bali ports, confirmed Bali’s waters rose by about 20 centimeters from their normal levels as a result of the tsunami in West Java.’