Bali Cleans Up Lake Batur As Kintamani Becomes Top Tourism Destination 

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Bali is committing to cleaning up Lake Batur. The ionic caldera lake, which sits beneath the world-famous Mount Batur, has long been used for fish farms.

There are concerns that agricultural runoff and non-environmentally friendly fishing practices are damaging the lake’s health. 

Kintamani, the collection of villages and communities that overlook Lake Batur, has been soaring in popularity with tourists over the last year.

The lakeside and Kintamani itself have seen a huge amount of funding has been pumped into the area, and new cafes, guesthouses, and restaurants have been popping up left, right, and center. 

As the World Water Forum is drawing to a close, Bali and the Indonesian government have committed to cleaning up the condition of Lake Batur for the good of public health, ecological health and tourism.

They have now confirmed that researchers at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK) have found that the condition of Lake Batur in Kintamani, Bali, is now critical and threatened with irreversible damage. The shores of Lake Batur are also experiencing shallowing and erosion.

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The Director of Inland Water and Mangrove Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Inge Retnowati at spoke with reporters at the ITDC The Nusa Dua. Retnowati said, “A total of fifteen lakes are included in the national priority list because their condition is critical. Including Lake Batur.”

Retnowati added, “Lake Batur is one of the lakes where efforts must be made to control water pollution, both in the water body from fisheries (activities) and in the catchment (water catchment area on the edge of the lake) from households and agriculture. There is nothing wrong with agriculture and fisheries. It’s just the methods that need to be considered.”

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Efforts to clean up Lake Batur have been underway for some time, but now, with the lake listed on the national priority list, more can be done to resolve these issues before it’s too late.

It has previously been reported that the government would add pipe connections to distribute clean water taken and processed from 15 lakes to 370,000 houses in Indonesia.

The project worth IDR 1.2 trillion will be carried out this year. Over the last 18 months, eco-enzymes have been poured into Lake Batur by the tonne to help increase water quality. 

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What is clear from the World Water Forum is that Indonesia will be doubling down on its efforts to support healthy water systems across the country, especially in Bali.

As a result of the World Water Forum, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has affirmed its commitment to working with the Indonesian Government to safeguard Bali’s natural heritage with a specific focus on the UNESCO World Heritage Protected Subak system, which is found only in Bali. 

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Xing Qu from UNESCO said, “One of [the partnership’s] efforts is to advocate for the protection of cultural heritage related to water in order to overcome the challenges of water problems in the 21st century, all of which are closely related to the Subak context.”

Qu continued to explain, “We have to reflect on how humans relate to water and how we have consumed and processed water. We will also release new initiatives in Indonesia to support more sustainable water management.”

Water management is an issue that seriously affects all communities living in Bali, tourists included. Not only is clean water essential for life, but proper water management can help reduce the risk of natural disasters such as flooding and landslide.

This is an issue that many Bali tourism leaders are concerned bout as more land is converted for tourism development and away from agriculture, where it plays an essential role in water capture.