DENPASAR - The Bali Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) emphasized that the installation of flood sirens in Denpasar was not to prevent flooding but to reduce the risk of casualties.
"This siren has nothing to do with preventing flooding, but it reduces the risk of casualties, if it is a matter of reducing flooding, it is another problem, such as drainage problems, spatial problems, garbage, green cover, and others," said Head of BPBD Bali I Gede Agung Teja Bhusana Yadnyadi Denpasar, Tuesday, January 27.
Gede Teja explained that the sirens installed since the beginning of January were prioritized on the banks of the Denpasar City river which had been affected by a major flood that claimed lives in September 2025.
"With early warning of floods, the community can evacuate themselves and valuable goods faster so as to reduce the risk of disasters," he continued.
"The way the siren works, he said, is that it will first sound when the water rises 50 cm or about the body of the fisherman who often sits under the river, the warning narrative asks the public to be alert and leave the area.
The second siren will sound when the river water touches the second detector at a height of 160 cm, the warning narration will ask the public to be on standby for self-evacuation.
And the third siren will sound repeatedly, this indicates that the water has overflowed beyond the river bank with a height of 266 cm, which means that people must immediately save themselves and valuables.
When it was first installed, he said, a number of people had the opinion that the alarm was panicking, but the Bali BPBD confirmed that they were currently carrying out the socialization process to the surrounding community of the flood siren.
Not long ago, Gede Teja gathered village officials around six siren points, including traders at Kumbasari Market which was crossed by the Tukad Badung stream.
He wants to ensure that the use of this flood siren is understood by the community, so that in addition to the surrounding residents, BPBD Bali will gradually announce the presence of this innovation to all people in Bali.
"This is the first siren we have in Bali, when the flood occurred last September there was not a single flood siren so that these needs arose, then we managed to prepare it in six points but it has not been socialized because the water is rising, finally the community panicked," he said.
"But that's a positive thing, the community responds to information and is quick, the evacuation procedures are still not precise, we will improve it through socialization, but we ask everyone to support, if necessary, we will add sirens later," added Gede Teja.
In order to reduce the risk of flooding, BPBD Bali utilized PLN assistance of IDR 200 million to make innovations in flood sirens ranging from the preparation of detectors, sirens, to socialization.
If the needs are calculated, for 391 rivers in Bali at least every district/city needs 20 sirens, so that the Bali BPBD encourages the district/city government and the business world to work together to present this tool.
"In Jembrana alone, it needs about 18, Tabanan also needs it, Karangasem also it is in the overflow of the Betel River, the condition is similar to Tukad Badung Denpasar, Gianyar also, so now the vulnerability can increase, yes, not to mention the addition of the number of residents on the banks of the river," said Gede Teja as reported by ANTARA.
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