Twelve people, including three children, have died after a series of landslides struck three villages in the Kintamani area late on Thursday 9 February 2017. A number of homes have been damaged, and in some cases destroyed by the incidents, and at least three people have been injured following the events, which happened following heavy rain in the area. Landslides
are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water
pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to
flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by
heavy rainfall.
Survivors inspecting damage following the 9 February 2017 Bali landslides. AAP.
Bali has a tropical climate that is warm year round, but has distinct wet and dry seasons. The wet season lasts from November to March, with rainfall typically exceeding 27 cm per month in December to February. This
problem has been made worse as expanding populations has
led to people farming higher on hillslopes, in an area where soils tend
to be volcanic in action and poorly consolidated (i.e. lack much
cohesion), making them more prone to landslides, particularly when trees (which have extensive root systems that can stabilise hillslopes) are replaced with annual food crops (which lack such root systems).
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