The six warning sirens that were installed around Bali’s rumbling Mount Agung in case of an eruption, are in working condition and ready to sound the alert, says the head of the Bali Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
The sirens were put in place soon after Mount Agung got upgraded to level IV, the highest alert level for a volcanic eruption on Sept. 22.
Now, almost a month later of Agung being on alert, BPBD Bali director, Dewa Made Indra, says the sirens remain ready to go if the volcano does eventually erupt.
“Before being installed, we tested these sirens in Padang Galak Beach some time ago at a low volume,” Indra said in Karangasem on Monday, as quoted by Antara Bali.
Indra explained that the sirens were set up at six different sub-districts where populations lived in the “yellow zone”, so just outside the 12 kilometer danger zone from the crater.
“The sirens are capable of issuing sounds across a two-kilometers radius, so the public will know if Mount Agung erupts.”
Officers are posted at the sirens for 24 hours, ready to turn them on, if given the signal from Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) monitoring posts.
It’s estimated that about 139,199 evacuees have taken refuge at government-run shelters and tens of thousands have additionally fled to stay with family members and friends at other parts of the island.
Bali’s governor previously declared a state of emergency to help the government care for the high volume of evacuees. The emergency status was just extended again until Oct. 26, and will stay in place as long as Agung remains a level IV, says the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
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