I

t has been a busy start for the Denpasar Disaster Management Agency, which has already tackled six disasters since it was established in December 2008, ranging from contagious diseases to floods and fires.

In the last four months, the agency has handled bird flu, Chikungunya and rabies outbreaks, flooding and a couple of major fires in the provincial capital.

"The agency was established because the city is prone to disease transmission," agency executive director Made Sudhana said Tuesday.

"That's why even though other regions were hit by outbreaks, we had to be on alert as we were dealing with diseases caused by viruses that spread fast, such as bird flu, Chikungunya and rabies."

As for the flooding, Sudhana said the agency was caught off guard as the inundations happened outside flood-prone areas. Dengue fever still plagues Denpasar every year despite routine fumigation and the distribution of abate powder to residents.

Sudhana said this newly established agency was actually an extension of the city fire department, entrusted with the authority to handle all disasters, not only those related to fire.

"The disasters in question could be related to water, fire, land and also diseases," he said.

"A disaster could be caused by natural causes or induced by humans. It's the agency's duty to anticipate such disasters and coordinate with other related agencies."

The agency, the only one of its kind in the province, is responsible for all pre-disaster, disaster and post-disaster activities. The agency coordinates during pre-disaster and post-disaster periods while assuming full command of city resources when a disaster strikes.