Bali Conditions Still Safe for End of Year Holiday

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Marine Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan ensures the condition of Bali is still safe as a tourist destination for the end of year vacation.

"From the results of the exposure of volcanologists, the status of Mount Agung remains alert, but only on the radius of the furthest 10 km, the rest of Bali is normal," he said as quoted from the written statement in Jakarta, Friday (15/12/2017)

Luhut held a coordination meeting on the latest development of Gunung Agung situation with ministries and related institutions under the coordination of Coordinating Ministry of Home Affairs in Jakarta on Friday.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Ignatius Jonan, Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati, Head of Groundwater and Environmental Geology Department of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Rudy Suhendar and Deputy of Tourism Destination and Tourism Development of Dadang Rizki Ratman.

Luhut added, based on the calculation, the wind direction is predicted to go east so that the ash of Mount Agung eruption is not expected to disturb flight activity at Airport I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Denpasar, Bali.

"Even if there is a 'minor' (minor) change to the east, according to Pak Jonan (Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources), there is a notary (Notice To Airmen) that can be notified," he added.

To ensure the safety of Mount Agung's condition in the event of an eruption, Luhut said the ESDM Ministry or volcanology agency has created a hazard simulation based on the potential of hot cloud flows, lava flows and the spread of volcanic ash with various scenarios.

"HR or 'vulcanologist' (PVMBG) has simulated 20 million lahars if he (Mount Agung) exploded 2.5 million what impact, if 5 million lava explodes what impact or up to 20 million lava is what the impact," he said.

Furthermore, Luhut appealed to the community not to undo the intention of vacationing to Bali as long as it is still beyond a radius of 10 km from Mount Agung. Similarly, conference activities in Bali are asked not to be diverted.

"That's all please stay in Bali, do not delay, I will report to the President so that the government will not divert the conference place from Bali so that our fellow Indonesians can show our togetherness in such a situation," he said. ensure that the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings (IMF-World Bank) Annual Meeting, scheduled to be held in Bali, October 2018, will not be relocated. According to him, the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has even given full support to keep tourists coming to Bali.

"There is no reason for us to move the IMF-World Bank Meeting if it is with current status," he concluded.