The Blobs that Attacked Kuta Beach

(2/24/2007)

Following the recent wash up of thousands dead fish on Bali's beaches [See:'Red Tide' Hits Bali's Western Shore], beachcombers along Bali's famed Kuta Beach were greeted by another disagreeable gift from the oceans on Friday, February 23, 2007.

According to reports in the Indonesian-language DenPost, gelatin-like, malodorous globules washed up along a 4 kilometer stretch of beach.

While local communities joined forces to bury the foul smelling gray and yellow "balls" of organic matter along the beach, speculation raged that the offensive material were linked to raw sewage, discarded industrial waste or even animal feed.

Officials from the Provincial Environmental Agency (Bappedal), however, who were dispatched to the beach, formed the preliminary conclusion that the material was comprised of algae-like material somehow shaken loose from the ocean's floor by unusually strong currents in the surrounding seas.

Ir. Anak Agung Wila Kusuma, Bappedal Secretary for Bali, said that while samples undergo testing in local laboratories, his preliminary conclusion was that while the material was unpleasant it most probably posed little threat to human health and because it was cyclical in nature the shoreline would quickly recover.

Shown on baidiscovery.com are photos taken on Saturday, February 23, 2007 of the bad-smelling blobs washed ashore along Kuta's beach.

Click Images to Enlarge