Bali is famous as a tropical paradise with beautiful beaches and temples, as well as hotels focused on yoga, meditation and wellbeing. But on other parts of the Indonesian island are hidden and increasing problems relating to rubbish disposal, environmental damage and erosion, as Marianne from Green Diosa found out.
Sanur is a seaside town in the southeast of the island, 10 kilometres or so from the capital Denpasar. Its long sandy beaches lined with palm trees and shallow turquoise waters seem like the idyllic setting for holiday-makers to relax and soak up the sun.
While in a taxi on the way to Denpasar, I asked Jerry the driver ‘what happens to household waste?’ ‘And what do they do about recycling on the island?’ He replied: “Let me show you!” So this where Jerry took me, just 10 minutes later we stopped outside the entrance to an enormous landfill site that stretches as far as the eye can see.
What struck me at first sight was the size of the rubbish dump and the stench. Somewhat surreal with low-flying birds looking for scraps and cows with shiny coats everywhere. Cows are sacred animals in Hindu culture and like VIPs, it seems that they are allowed exclusive access to search through the garbage for organic snacks.
Like Balinese gauchos, the owners keep a close eye on their herds and every so often you can hear the clinging sound of the bells around the cows’ necks to ensure they don’t stray too far.
From a distance, the mountains of rubbish might seem like a rolling landscape but up close you can see they are made up of piles and piles of waste all stuck together: weathered refuse sacks, dirty plastic bags and bottles, chocolate and sweet wrappers, milk and orange juice cartons, cigarette packets, cardboard and polystyrene boxes, straw mats, dried leaves and tree branches, food waste, paper and clothes. Many of these materials can be recycled while others will take hundreds of years to biodegrade.
I asked Jerry ‘what happens to all the rubbish?’ He told me that Balinese people don’t throw away aluminium cans and glass bottles as they have monetary value. “I believe the rest of the rubbish is just burnt,” he revealed. Burning of waste on the site isn’t permitted but he said it does happen and smoke can pollute the air sometimes entering residents’ homes at night.
We passed through a few rural villages where it was common to see garbage piled up at the roadside including items that can be recycled mixed in with household waste. And I asked Jerry ‘why people in Bali don’t recycle?’ “I think it’s maybe the lack of education, I’m not sure,” he said. It certainly didn’t look like the local government has been doing too much to promote the separation, reuse or recycling of materials like paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and aluminium. Perhaps the alleged burning of waste at landfill sites might actually be discouraging people to recycle?
Tanah Lot is one of Bali’s most important historical sites, a sea temple built in the 15th and 16th centuries, located about 20 kilometres from Denpasar that can only be reached at low tide. After visiting the ancient site, we learnt that several temples in Bali have been constructed from rock and that it was common to use coral – just like mortar – for construction purposes.
Not only are coral reefs one of nature’s richest ecosystems providing underwater habitats for a huge variety of tropical fish, plants and marine life but they also act as natural barriers, protecting coastlines from erosion, storms and waves which can damage property and threaten lives. The destruction of these reefs together with other factors such as land reclamation, new construction projects and human intervention have no doubt contributed to the ruin of many coastlines in Bali.
We stayed one night for a stopover at a very affordable resort on the east coast of Bali and were shocked to find that the hotel no longer had a beach. We soon realised why it was empty and so cheap. In fact, such was the extent of the costal erosion that parts of the hotel complex were underwater. Huge seawalls and breakwaters had been built in the sea itself to protect the hotel and gardens from flooding and at night you couldn’t sleep due to the sound of the crashing waves.
Just standing a few feet from the seawall you can feel the frightening force of the ocean. Measures like breakwaters or sandbags may provide a little respite but as King Canute knew, you cannot command the sea or the force of nature.
We were told that it’s many years since coral was used for for construction purposes but the destruction of mangroves is another factor that has played a huge part in the destruction of parts of Bali’s shores. Protests have helped protect some mangroves for the time being, while satellite technology is now being used at a relatively low cost to monitor coastline erosion. However, with more than 5 million foreign tourists visiting each year, it appears more drastic measures are needed to preserve this island paradise.
All photos © Green Diosa
