President orders swift, effective response to Bali floods: BNPB Head

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has ordered his aides to accelerate the handling of floods in Bali, particularly in locating missing persons and meeting the basic needs of displaced residents.

This was conveyed by Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Suharyanto following his visit to affected areas and a coordination meeting with local government officials in Denpasar, according to a statement cited in Jakarta on Thursday.

He emphasized that the government has been properly handling the flooding that swept several regions in the province on Wednesday (September 10).

Citing the results of a joint analysis with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), he explained that the widespread disaster was triggered by Rossby and Kelvin atmospheric waves from September 8–10.

"This disaster has left infrastructure damaged and claimed lives. Reports indicate that nine people have died, while six others are still missing," Suharyanto noted.

He stated that he and his aides had carried out field inspections, learning that water discharge in several rivers had returned to normal as of Wednesday at 9 p.m. local time. Search and rescue operations resumed the following morning.

BNPB confirmed that around 400 to 600 personnel from various institutions had been deployed to search for the missing and clear debris.

To ease residents' burden, the agency has distributed essential goods and equipment, including water pumps and power generators, worth around Rp1 billion (over US$60 thousand). It has also pledged to help repair damaged homes.

According to BNPB data, the widespread flooding has affected 620 residents from 202 families across Denpasar City and the districts of Jembrana, Gianyar, Klungkung, Badung, and Tabanan.

In response, Bali Governor Wayan Koster on Wednesday declared a one-week emergency period.