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ad weather experienced over the past couple of days has hampered the supply of commodities to and from Bali amid increasing demand ahead of the Hindu holiday of Galungan.

Padangbai harbor, which connects Bali with Lombok, had to be closed for four days, starting from Jan. 24 until Jan. 28 due to heavy rain and high tides of up to 6 meters that disrupted ferry activities.

Eko Yulianto, Padangbai operational manager of ASDP — the state-owned company that manages ferry activities — said that following the heavy rains, strong winds and high tides, the company decided to suspend ferry operations until conditions were safer.

Crossing activities were finally resumed again on Saturday because weather conditions had made it possible for ferries to cross the strait heading to Lombok.

During the bad weather, the high tide could reach 6 meters and wind speeds could reach 50 kilometers per hour, double normal conditions.

The temporary closure, however, had caused commodity trucks to line up, even after operations had resumed. As of Tuesday, the queue of trucks had reached Goa Lawah, which is located some 5 kilometers from the harbor gate.

“The queue is still five kilometers-long. This is the impact of the four day closure,” said Eko.

He said the company had yet to be able to conduct full operation by operating 20 ferries to serve the Padangbai-Lembar route because some ferries required maintenance.

“We are only able to operate 10 ferries at the moment, but the number of vehicles that are heading to Lombok are increasing every day. That is why the queue is still happening.”

As of Tuesday, there were still some 450 trucks waiting to board the ferries. Around 120 of them have reached the harbor gate, while the rest remained queueing to reach the Goa Lawah and Yeh Malet area.

On average, there are around 120 trucks, 10 buses and 100 cars crossing this route each day.

The gridlock in the harbor had hampered the supply of commodities ahead of the Hindu holiday of Galungan, as many of the fresh commodities for the celebration were transported from Lombok and Java.

Although there was no temporary closure in Gilimanuk harbor, which connects Bali and Java, the poor weather had slowed crossing activities.

“The supply of needs for Galungan has been affected by bad weather. With increasing demand and less supply, their are the rising prices,” said Gede Darmaja, head of the provincial Trade and Industry Agency.

He said that in addition to staple foods and other primary commodities needed for Galungan, there is also increasing demand for fruits and flowers, which are used as elements for religious offerings.

“Around 60 percent of flowers and around 20 to 25 percent of fruits are transported from Java and Lombok. The slow down in shipping and transport had also affected the quality of products,” he said.

He added that buyers should be more careful in selecting fruits and flowers.

— JP/Desy Nurhayati