Majestic Mount Agung in northeast Bali, the 3,000-metre volcano whose slopes are home to the Balinese Mother Temple Pura Besakih, is rumbling for the first time in over 50 years. While the sudden seismic activity is cause for a formal alert and scientific surveillance, everything else is business as usual for most of us here in Bali.
Elite Havens Luxury Villa Rentals continues to welcome guests everyday to our fully-staffed holiday villas, all of which are well out of harm’s way, most being located along the western sunset coast or on the southern Bukit peninsula. The International Airport in Bali is operating normally as are all scheduled ferries and fast boats to and from The Island of the Gods.
No volcanic ash has been detected and this is continually being monitored via satellite imagery. Unable to predict the likelihood of an eruption, volcanologists and researchers have provided commentary to inform risk mitigation.
The Indonesian government announced that areas inside a 9-12 km radius of Mt. Agung would be at the greatest risk of direct impacts from a potential explosion.
The rest of Bali – nearly 6,000 km2 of agricultural land, urban centres and trendy tourist haunts between its sandy shores – will likely not be affected at all. The physical distance of commercial neighbourhoods from Bali’s peaks and the direction of regular wind patterns over the Indian Ocean give volcanic ash a slim chance of spreading in the south.
Rest assured the Balinese people who live on the slopes and foothills of mighty Agung have already been evacuated to ensure their safety and they are receiving support from the community and disaster relief organisations until further notice.
