Bali Declares State of Emergency For 14 Days Due to Extended Drought & Forest Fires

The Indonesian island of Bali, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, has declared a state of emergency after suffering from forest fires, as well as prolonged drought and peatland.

As reported by Indonesian publication Detik, the state of emergency will be enforced for 14 days until 1 November and may be extended or shortened depending on the situation.

The directive was issued by Bali’s Acting Governor, SM Mahendra Jaya on Thursday (19 October) in a gubernatorial statement involving all cities across the region, including Denpasar and Badung.

The state of emergency was declared to make it easier to facilitate access to mobilise human resources, equipment and other logistics to reduce the disaster’s impact.

Despite the declaration of a state of emergency, the Bali Acting Governor assured that there was no reason to be alarmed as the decision was made sensibly as a way to mobilise resources to handle the disaster.

Since July, prolonged drought has affected at least 113 traditional villages on the island, whereby they face a clean water crisis. The most affected areas include Buleleng, Jembrana and Karangasem.

In fact, in 3 regions across the island, there has been no rainfall for 94 consecutive days. This prolonged dry season is partly due to the El Nino weather phenomenon and has also led to numerous forest and land fires.

At least 7 forest fires have been reported between July and October, 2 in Buleleng, 4 in Karangasem and 1 in Bangli.

Hence, if you’re planning to travel to the island, do take note of this current ongoing state of emergency.

Also read: Indonesia Will Start Building an Underground LRT in Bali Next Year to Ease Congestion