The massive conversion of agricultural land in Bali is becoming a critical issue, with around 2,000 hectares of rice fields disappearing annually. This rapid change is sparking urgent calls from environmental groups for the government to impose a moratorium on the construction of new hotels and villas.
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) Bali has long warned about the overdevelopment on the island, emphasizing that a moratorium on new constructions should have been implemented years ago. According to the group, the growing number of buildings is overtaking Bali’s green spaces at an alarming rate.
“The conversion of land is having a profound impact on the sustainability of Bali’s ecosystem. The wave of infrastructure projects, which are often extractive in nature, is reshaping the island’s landscape,” said Made Krisna Dinata, also known as Bokis, Executive Director of Walhi Bali, during an interview with detikBali on Tuesday (10/9/2024).
Walhi Bali has collected data on land conversion in Badung and Denpasar from 2000 to 2020. The findings are alarming: in 2000, these two regions had around 7,000 hectares of rice fields. By 2020, only about 3,000 hectares remained.
“Over the course of 20 years, the area of rice fields shrank by 4,334 hectares, representing a 23.44 percent decrease,” Bokis revealed.
He further pointed out that the loss of agricultural land is not confined to just Badung and Denpasar. Bokis referenced additional data from the Bali Cultural Office, which showed that in 2018, five out of the 1,596 traditional subak irrigation systems across Bali had disappeared.
In total, the island had around 69,000 hectares of rice fields left by 2018, down from 80,000 hectares in 2014. “Over a span of four years, Bali lost 11,000 hectares of rice fields, which averages to around 2,000 hectares disappearing every year. As of now, Bali’s remaining rice fields amount to approximately 62,000 hectares,” Bokis explained.
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Adding to the growing concern is the increasing number of hotels springing up across Bali. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) show a sharp rise in hotel developments between 2000 and 2023, with the number of hotels on the island ballooning from 113 to 541. Hotel rooms also saw a dramatic increase, jumping from 19,000 to 54,000 during the same period.
This rapid growth in the hospitality industry is placing an enormous strain on Bali’s natural resources, particularly water. According to Bokis, hotels are the largest consumers of water on the island, accounting for 56 percent of Bali’s total water usage. “Hotels are heavy water users. While the average domestic water consumption is around 200 liters per person per day, star-rated hotels require at least 800 liters of water per room per day,” Bokis stated.
“Non-star-rated hotels, meanwhile, consume around 250 liters of water per room each day,” he added.
Walhi Bali argues that the unchecked development of hotels and villas poses a severe ecological threat to Bali. “The continuous construction of accommodation facilities adds immense pressure to the environment. From land conversion to water crises, the impact is far-reaching and could lead to a full-scale ecological disaster,” Bokis warned.
As the island’s natural resources become increasingly stretched, environmentalists are pushing for immediate government intervention. The proposed moratorium on hotel construction is seen as a crucial step to preserve Bali’s remaining agricultural lands and prevent further environmental degradation. Without such action, Bali’s future could be in jeopardy, as the island risks losing not only its unique landscapes but also its ecological integrity.
