People await a vehicle to take them to an evacuation center from their homes in Sibetan village, Bebandem district, Karangasem regency, Thursday (28/9). The number of people fleeing Mt. Agung has continued to rise, reaching more than 100,000 evacuees spread across 447 evacuation sites in Bali.
BALI, KOMPAS – The number of evacuees as of Thursday (28/9) continues to increase. The number of evacuees has reached 134,299 people in 484 evacuation centers in all regencies and cities in Bali. Despite the emergency condition, infrastructure and sanitation facilities are limited.
The number of evacuees has increased because some people living outside the 12- kilometer radius have also evacuated. They have started to worry about being affected by the eruption. Some of the evacuation centers have received a sufficient supply of logistics, but there are many that have not received aid.
In the evacuation center in Ulakan village, Manggis district, there is a shortage in the supply of milk, diapers and biscuits. There is also a lack of public toilets and places for bathing and washing up. For the 1,600 evacuees in the evacuation center, only 18 toilets are available. Every morning and afternoon, the evacuees have to queue up to go to the toilet. Some evacuees have even resorted to going to nearby houses to take a bath. The evacuation center also feels hot. Evacuees in the field take shelter in tents made out of fabric with mats on the ground.
In the GOR Swecapura evacuation center in Klungkung regency, evacuees who are in tents in the field are worried about being hit by floods when it rains heavily. The evacuation center, which currently holds around 4,000 people, also lacks toilets.
The evacuees take advantage of a river near the center to bath in and wash their clothes. The children, meanwhile, are still asked to go to school. The schools around the evacuation center are obligated to accept evacuee students.
Lava path prepared
To anticipate the possibility of a Mount Agung eruption, the government has prepared paths for the flow of lava so that it will not endanger locals. The condition of 87 Sabo dams (ditches made to control erosion) around Gunung Agung have also been checked and are being re-dredged.
In between the lava paths around Mount Agung, there are Sabo dams to sediment the sand. The lava will continue to flow if the path is not clogged. “If it is not dredged, the lava can overflow uncontrollably. So we prepare lava paths and Sabo dams,” said Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono in Jakarta.
The ministry said it had allocated Rp 67.52 billion for the checking and dredging of lava paths and Sabo dams, as well as the provision of infrastructure including clean water facilities.
Air transportation infrastructure has also been prepared. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said 10 airports had been prepared to divert flights headed to Ngurah Rai Airport if the eruption of Mount Agung poses a real danger to flights.
The airports that have been prepared are Blimbingsari in Banyuwangi, Praya in Lombok, Juanda in Surabaya and Hasanuddin in Makassar.
Occupancy rate declines
A number of tourist destinations in Karangasem regency have started to feel the impact. The occupancy rate of hotels in Karangasem has fallen to 20 percent. The destinations that have been impacted include the Amed, Tulamben and Candidasa beaches.
Head of Karangasem regency’s branch of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurants Association (PHRI), I Wayan Tama, said most of the European tourists that have already come have chosen to stay in their hotels. Others have decided to cancel their trip to Karangasem and go to other destinations in Bali.
A coordination meeting yesterday between the Tourism Ministry, the Bali Tourism Agency and tourism industry players in Bali at the office of the Bali Tourism Agency in Denpasar agreed on the need to announce information on the situation regularly using different languages. By doing this, it is hoped that tourists in Bali can easily understand the latest conditions in Bali.
The Tourism Ministry’s deputy for Foreign Tourism Marketing Development, I Gde Pitana, said the ministry would facilitate the translation of announcements to English, Mandarin and Japanese.
As of yesterday, some countries, including the United States, Australia and Singapore, have issued travel warnings to those who want to fly to Bali.
Fracture
The intensity of tectonic and volcanic earthquakes caused by Mount Agung’s magma activity in Karangasem regency yesterday has reduced compared to the intensity of the previous week. However, an observer at the Mount Agung monitoring post of the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) detected, through satellite images, cracks under the crater of the mountain.
The appearance of the cracks comes together with the emission of thick white smoke and increasing heat in the area within 100 to 120 square meters northeast of the crater. This indicates that the movement of the magma is getting closer to the surface of the crater.
