Bali volcano: Relief effort underway to support thousands of displaced people

As many as 65,000 Indonesians are living in shelters due to fears Mount Agung will erupt, according to Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency

Residents living within a 10km radius of the crater have been forced to leave their homes (Danielle Da Silva/Photographers Without Borders)

In Tianyar village in Bali, thousands of people are waiting to find out when, if ever, they will be able to return to their homes.

As Mount Agung continues to spew clouds of white and dark gray ash as far as 7,600m into the atmosphere, Indonesians fear the volcano could be on the brink of eruption.

The 3,000m volcano has shown a marked increase in activity over the last few weeks, stoking fears of an eruption similar to the one in 1963 that killed more than 1,000 people.

Residents living within a 10km radius of the crater have been forced to leave their homes, with as many as 65,000 people living in shelters, according to Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency.

Organisations like the East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) have risen to the challenge, seeking to provide shelter and food to thousands of displaced people.

“I am proud of the resilience of these thousands of people, but sad that they cannot risk going home until Mount Agung has erupted or gone back to sleep,” East Bali Poverty Project founder David Booth told The Independent.

The EBPP has been providing shelter and food to more than 750 people forced to flee the Desa Ban area, which sits just north of Mount Agung.

“My heart was overflowing with both joy and sadness but also pride for the dignity our communities, from the young infants barely walking to the very old and wrinkled who all were steadfast and shared smiles.”

One woman who has benefited from EBPP’s services described having to move from shelter to shelter while she was pregnant, before being forced to have a cesarian section in order to have her baby safely.

“Now, the baby is running a fever and has an infected umbilical cord due to the lack of washing supplies in the camp.”

The mother, Wayan Tangkih, told photographer and Photographers Without Borders founder Danielle Da Silva she had to move from shelter to shelter after being forced to leave her home over fears of Mount Agung erupting.

“I was really panicked, I was crying and traumatised,” Ms Tangkih told Ms Da Silva.

“I have to bring along this little baby at such a young age. It worries me every day.”