Heavy rain continued to fall from Wednesday, the 4th of April, until Thursday, the 5th of April, causing flooding in almost the entire Kuta area, Bali.
Interestingly, this flood disaster became a playground for foreign tourists in the area. Video footage shows several foreigners who appear to be having fun playing with surfboards in the middle of the flood. To boot, four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles passed through the flood several times; the sight does not seem to perturb the tourists. The actions carried out by foreign tourists were enough to invite laughter from their fellow foreign tourists. As of the moment, the video footage has gone viral on TikTok.
In another video footage, more severe flooding occurred in the Kerobokan area, Badung. In this particular video, water can be seen entering the room of a villa, its level reaching as high as an adult’s waist. A number of pieces of furniture can also be seen submerged in water. However, the residents of the villa appear to be relaxed in the video; some can be seen cooking in the kitchen while others appear to be having fun on the floating sofa.
Banjir di Padang Sambian Denpasar, sampe masuk rumah. Src tertera pic.twitter.com/7lGZZhnmjK
— ????????? (@hiaytihda) April 4, 2024
The Bali Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) noted that there were 12 points affected by the flooding in the Denpasar and Badung areas.
“There are eight locations in Denpasar and four locations in Badung that are affected,” BPBD Bali Chief Executive, Made Rentin, told the press on Friday, the 5th of April.
Rentin also explained that, specifically in Denpasar, floodwaters with a height level of between 60 centimetres and one metre have submerged the following avenues and public spots: Jalan Gunung Lumut, Jalan Padang Mekar, Jalan Permata Hijau, Jalan Gunung Soputan, Jalan Gria Anyar, and Kumala Sari Kindergarten.
Meanwhile, in Badung, flooding by heavy rain has occupied at least four different public spots, namely Kuta Beach Road, a McDonald’s outlet within the premises of Udayana University, Banjar Mumbul, and South Kuta.
Anak Agung Rama Putra, the Head of the Water Resources Division of the Badung Public Works and Spatial Planning Department and the one who has directly monitored the flooding locations in the Kuta area, divulged that water from heavy rain had started to flood the streets since early Thursday morning.
“The water started rising at around half past 4 o’clock this morning,” Putra added.
Efforts to reduce the water levels have been made by opening the cover of the ditch on the side of the road aided with a water pusher. The water levels, as of today, have begun to recede.
“We were a bit late in disposing of the water, so we had to deploy a [water] pusher. Now [the flood] has receded,” Putra elaborated.
According to Putra, flooding after heavy rain rarely occurs on Kuta Beach Road. The floodwaters that have been stagnant since Friday morning due to the water discharge from the Tukad Mati River, Kuta, are currently in full volume due to rain that occurred during the previous night. Despite the viral moments, the locals and visiting foreign tourists are advised by the authorities to remain alert and maintain safety during the rainy season.
Aksi Bule Main Papan Surfing Saat Banjir di Jalan Pantai Kuta
Banjir tersebut terjadi di wilayah Kuta akibat hujan deras sejak Rabu (3/4) malam hingga Kamis (4/4) Pagi.#detikcom pic.twitter.com/ii9Dnm4fis
— detikcom (@detikcom) April 4, 2024