The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) appealed to the Bali provincial government to pay attention to several rivers that can potentially cause flash floods.

Acting Head of BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center Abdul Muhari emphasized that the rivers should be checked to ensure there are no piles of logs that might hinder the flow of water during the rainy season.

“When the water debit of the river is low, these (the logs) will not become a threat. However, when it rains with very high intensity, then they (the logs) will become natural dams for the water,” he noted in virtual “Disaster Briefing” on Tuesday.

Once the logs cannot contain the huge amount of water, they will be swept away and cause flash floods, he remarked.

Hence, he deemed it necessary to inspect whether there are materials that can block the flow of water in the upstream area of the river.

According to the agency’s analysis, the flash flood that hit Karangasem District, Bali Province, recently occurred due to high rainfall of up to 60 millimeters. Thus, it is important to anticipate the disaster by maintaining the smoothness of the river flow.

“Are there any blockages? Are there fallen trees that may have the potential to become natural dams when the water discharge is very high? These should be our concern,” Muhari remarked.

In addition, the BNPB had appealed to the Bali provincial government to maintain vigil against hydrometeorological disasters during this rainy season since the water buffer areas in the province had reduced.

Moreover, the region would become the host of the G20 Summit on November 14-16, 2022. Hence, the agency had also readied several mitigation attempts.

The agency also urged the managers of various tourism destinations in Bali Province, especially those located near rivers, to pay attention to the debit of the water when a downpour occurred.

Source: Antara News