The start of this year’s rainy season in Bali has resulted in the sudden appearance of waterfalls at various points on Mount Agung, in Karangasem, according to reporting from Tempo, who add that there seem to be more of them than in previous rainy seasons.
Among those visible this time are located on the Pasar Agung climbing route at an altitude of around 2,100 meters above sea level. The water flow is located in lahar paths that dry up during the dry season.
According to the Coordinator of Analysis and Forecasting at the Climatology Station of Bali, the Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BBMKG) Region III Denpasar, Made Dwi Wiratmaja, the impromptu waterfalls are due to the high volume of water resulting from heavy rain. “The high water flow on the mountain makes it appear from a distance like a waterfall,” he said on Monday (9/12/24.)
Based on weather observations, Dwi explained that in early December 2024, heavy to very heavy rain had occurred at several rainfall observation points in Karangasem. For example, at the Besakih Rain Post, rainfall of over 50 millimeters per day (heavy rainfall category) was recorded from December 1 to 3, and on December 6, 2024, rainfall of over 100 millimeters per day (very heavy rainfall category) was recorded, Tempo is reporting.
On December 6, the Pempatan Rain Observation Post also recorded rainfall of over 150 millimeters or in the category of extreme rain. The same happened at the Rain Observation Post in Singaraja, where extreme rain occurred on December 1 and 4, 2024.
Dwi estimated that the impromptu waterfalls emerged because the ground had become saturated with accumulated rainwater over the past week. “So the rainfall becomes surface flow or run-off towards the river routes around Mount Agung,” he said.
Mount Agung climbing guide and Chairman of the Sebudi Village Forest Management Institution in Karangasem, Wayan Widi Yasa, said that heavy rain had been hitting the Mount Agung area for the past few days. The guide from Sogra Hamlet at the foot of the 3,142-meter-high mountain received cancellations from several groups of tourists due to the bad weather, says Tempo.
Although the impromptu waterfalls present an attractive view, Widi stated that heavy rain has the potential to pose risks by making the climbing route more slippery, the ground more unstable, and hindering visibility. He urged prospective climbers or nature lovers to coordinate or contact local guides at each climbing post before planning the climb to ensure safety and security.
Source: Tempo
Stock image by Rene Gossner from Pixabay
