Water Crisis Threatens Indonesia's Bali
2022-12-19
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1Bali, Indonesia, is facing a worsening water crisis from tourism development, population growth and water mismanagement.
2Shortages already are affecting UNESCO World Heritage structure, food production and Balinese culture.
3Experts warn the situation will worsen if existing water control policies are not enforced across the island.
4"It is no longer possible to work in the fields as a farmer," said farmer I Ketut Jata.
5He said the land is too dry to grow rice which he sells to provide for his family.
6Bali is in the center of Indonesia's group of islands.
7Bali gets its water from three main sources: lakes, rivers and groundwater.
8A traditional irrigation system, called the "subak", sends water through a network of waterways, dams and tunnels.
9The subak was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012.
10The system is central to Balinese culture.
11It represents the Balinese Hindu idea of harmony between people, nature and spirituality.
12"This is one of the very special cases of living landscapes in Asia," said Feng Jing, who works with UNESCO in Bangkok.
13But demand is putting severe pressure on the subak and other water resources, said Putu Bawa.
14He is with the Bali Water Protection program.
15The island's population increased by more than 70 percent from 1980 to 2020, to 4.3 million people, found government data.
16Tourism growth has been even greater: Less than 140,000 foreign visitors came to the island in 1980.
17By 2019, there were more than 6.2 million foreign and 10.5 million Indonesian tourists.
18Bali's economy has done very well with tourism, but at a cost.
19Rice fields where the subak once ran through have been turned into golf courses and water parks.
20Forests that naturally collect water for the subak have been destroyed for new homes and hotels, Bawa said.
21Stroma Cole is with the University of Westminster in London.
22She has researched tourism's impact on Bali's water supplies.
23Cole said the water table is also dropping because people and businesses use private wells instead of government-owned supplies.
24The water table is the upper level of an underground surface in which rocks or soil are always surrounded by water.
25In less than 10 years, Bali's water table has sunk more than 50 meters in some areas.
26Wells are becoming dry or have been damaged with salt water, especially in the island's south.
27Bali does have rules, like water permits and taxes on water used.
28They are meant to control the island's water supplies, but there is no enforcement, Cole said.
29The serious effect of the water crisis can be seen in Jatiluwih, in northwestern Bali.
30The area has the island's largest rice farms.
31For generations, farmers used the subak system for irrigation.
32But in the past 19 years, farmers have had to pump water through white plastic pipes to irrigate the fields.
33Some Bali farmers say they can only get one rice harvest a year, instead of two or three because of limited water supplies, Cole's research found.
34That could reduce food production on the island.
35When Indonesia closed its borders during the pandemic, Bali's tourism greatly dropped.
36Environmental activists hoped the closure would help raise water levels in the wells.
37But development across the island has continued, including a new road that activists say will further affect the subak system.
38New hotels, homes and other businesses are also adding to the demand.
39Bawa said tourism is important to Bali but there also should be better enforcement and increased monitoring to protect the island's water resources.
40"We need to do this together for the sake of the survival of the island."
41I'm Dan Novak.
1Bali, Indonesia, is facing a worsening water crisis from tourism development, population growth and water mismanagement. Shortages already are affecting UNESCO World Heritage structure, food production and Balinese culture. 2Experts warn the situation will worsen if existing water control policies are not enforced across the island. 3"It is no longer possible to work in the fields as a farmer," said farmer I Ketut Jata. He said the land is too dry to grow rice which he sells to provide for his family. 4Bali is in the center of Indonesia's group of islands. Bali gets its water from three main sources: lakes, rivers and groundwater. A traditional irrigation system, called the "subak", sends water through a network of waterways, dams and tunnels. 5The subak was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012. The system is central to Balinese culture. It represents the Balinese Hindu idea of harmony between people, nature and spirituality. 6"This is one of the very special cases of living landscapes in Asia," said Feng Jing, who works with UNESCO in Bangkok. 7But demand is putting severe pressure on the subak and other water resources, said Putu Bawa. He is with the Bali Water Protection program. 8The island's population increased by more than 70 percent from 1980 to 2020, to 4.3 million people, found government data. Tourism growth has been even greater: Less than 140,000 foreign visitors came to the island in 1980. By 2019, there were more than 6.2 million foreign and 10.5 million Indonesian tourists. 9Bali's economy has done very well with tourism, but at a cost. Rice fields where the subak once ran through have been turned into golf courses and water parks. Forests that naturally collect water for the subak have been destroyed for new homes and hotels, Bawa said. 10Stroma Cole is with the University of Westminster in London. She has researched tourism's impact on Bali's water supplies. Cole said the water table is also dropping because people and businesses use private wells instead of government-owned supplies. The water table is the upper level of an underground surface in which rocks or soil are always surrounded by water. 11In less than 10 years, Bali's water table has sunk more than 50 meters in some areas. Wells are becoming dry or have been damaged with salt water, especially in the island's south. 12Bali does have rules, like water permits and taxes on water used. They are meant to control the island's water supplies, but there is no enforcement, Cole said. 13The serious effect of the water crisis can be seen in Jatiluwih, in northwestern Bali. The area has the island's largest rice farms. 14For generations, farmers used the subak system for irrigation. But in the past 19 years, farmers have had to pump water through white plastic pipes to irrigate the fields. 15Some Bali farmers say they can only get one rice harvest a year, instead of two or three because of limited water supplies, Cole's research found. That could reduce food production on the island. 16When Indonesia closed its borders during the pandemic, Bali's tourism greatly dropped. Environmental activists hoped the closure would help raise water levels in the wells. 17But development across the island has continued, including a new road that activists say will further affect the subak system. New hotels, homes and other businesses are also adding to the demand. 18Bawa said tourism is important to Bali but there also should be better enforcement and increased monitoring to protect the island's water resources. 19"We need to do this together for the sake of the survival of the island." 20I'm Dan Novak. 21Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 22_______________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24tourism - n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure 25irrigation - n. to supply with water by using artificial means 26tunnel- n. a passage that goes under the ground, through a hill, etc. 27harmony - n. a pleasing combination or arrangement of different things 28landscape - n. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance 29monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check for a special purpose over a period of time