Denpasar declares emergency after widespread flood strikes city

Denpasar, Bali The Denpasar municipal authority on Wednesday officially declared emergency status following a heavy downpour that caused flooding in several parts of the city since the morning.

Mayor I Gusti Ngurah Jaya Negara stated that the emergency status allowed the authority to optimize disaster response, anticipate potential risks, and ensure continued public activities during the recovery period.

"This emergency status is important to ensure all responses can be implemented in an integrated, prompt, and accurate manner with the involvement of all parties," the mayor stated while leading the disaster response coordination meeting here.

He also commended village heads and officials who have assisted residents affected by the flooding.

"We then instructed the village heads to collect the data of affected residents immediately. The faster we move, the better our mitigation will be," Jaya Negara stated.

The Denpasar authority has established a disaster response center at the mayor's office integrated with response centers at the sub-district and village levels, he said, adding that Denpasar Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) will work in coordination with the provincial BPBD.

"Field shelters have been strengthened by officers from the Social Affairs Office and the Health Office; medicine supplies are assured there," he noted.

According to Jaya Negara, the flood in Denpasar was caused by the surge of river water discharge at the upstream due to heavy rainfall that blanketed Bali Island in the last 24 hours.

Apart from Denpasar, heavy rainfall that caused flooding was also reported to occur in almost all regions on the island of Bali. Indonesia's meteorology agency warned that the rain is expected to continue throughout the week.

The flood claimed the lives of five residents and the disappearance of six others in Denpasar and the neighboring district of Badung alone, according to the local police.

Meanwhile, two people were found dead after being swept away by the flood in Jembrana District, and the road connecting Denpasar to the port town of Gilimanuk in the same district was cut off by the flood.