As construction teams continue to create a new access road to the cliff crack beneath Uluwatu Temple, local residents, community members, and tourists are raising more concerns that the project is doing more harm than good.
It has come to light that the project has gone ahead without publishing an Environmental Impact Assessment and without publicly declaring an emergency status, which would warrant the authorities to skip the all-important environmental safeguarding procedures.
The news comes as Uluwatu Temple is set to welcome a post-pandemic record number of tourists in 2024.
The Manager of Tourism at Uluwatu Temple, Wayan Wijana, told reporters that between January and June 2024, Uluwatu Temple saw 800,000 tourist visits.
This overall increase of 12% in the same period in 2023 is predicted to continue. Wijana told reporters the temple complex expects to hit 1.2 million tourist visits by the end of the year.
Wijana said, “If the situation remains conducive and with the support of good security and order, I am sure we can reach more than 1 million visits.”
He and his teams have noted the positive benefits the high number of visits has on the local economy, and Wijana hopes that the growing number of tourists to Uluwatu Temple will have a positive impact on other attractions of tourism businesses in the area.
He added, “The high level of visits provides great benefits for stakeholders and tourism actors, such as traders, local guides, and art groups such as the Kecak group.”
Prior to the pandemic, Uluwatu Temple welcomed between 1.7 million and 1.9 million tourists annually.
As tourists continue to visit the famous cliff-top temple, many local community members have expressed deep concern at the construction work that has started to preserve the cliff face beneath the famous temple.
In the mid-1970s, a crack was first identified in the cliff below Pura Luhur Uluwatu; it is believed to have worsened during an earthquake in 1992 but has remained stable since.
Temple management and local leaders have in recent months even told the press that the crack poses no threat to the public.
In order to access the crack in the cliff and complete stabilization work, construction teams have started to build a major access road. This has involved clearing forest and scrub at the top of the cliff and carving out a new road into the cliffside.
Last week footage emerged of construction teams dumping ton after ton limestone debris into the ocean below, rather than removing the rock in a responsible manner.
Having assessed drone footage of the site many feel that an area much larger than needed to develop an ‘access only road’ has been cleared.
In response to public outrage and concerns that the project is being handled irresponsibly or even illegally, the Head of Pecatu Village, Made Sumerta, has spoken to reporters about the construction work.
He explained, “I believe this workmanship is what makes the seawater cloudy. So this is quite a concern for tourists who do water sports or surfing. There are many complaints from foreign tourists.”
Sumerta also explained, “We are clear: there is no commercial interest here. The gift of Ida Bhatara that we have through tourism has given us a lot of prosperity. We will not exploit this nature for commercial purposes. This activity is purely for protection and security.”
Local community members are taking matters into their own hands and investigating how the project has been allowed to go ahead without the publishing of an ‘Analisis Mengenai Dampak Lingkungan’ or AMDAL, which is an Environmental Impact Assessment.
According to the Department of Public Works, an environmental impact assessment is still being completed, but work has been started since the cliff crack meets some of the criteria of a public emergency.
To use just one example of emergency criteria, in accordance with “PP No. 21 Year 2008 on Disaster Response Maintenance: Article 20 verse (1): States that any situation that is seriously life-threatening, damaging the environment, or disturbing socio-economic can be called a state of emergency.”
Given the high number of worshippers that visit the temple, in addition to the high number of tourists (and the associated revenue), the authorities are now insinuating that the cliff preservation work is a cultural and public safety emergency.
Many local groups have expressed their concerns about the project’s negative impacts in the short and long term, especially in light of CGI footage that has emerged online of a seawall road that is far from the initially described access-only route.
Groups like the Uluwatu Community are publically calling on the Badung Department of Public Works and Public Housing to be “transparent in the release of professional documents related to the ecological assessment that PUPR claims to have.”
Individuals such as Uluwatu local Piter Panjaitan have published footage daily from the site. He has also been publishing videos online, translating and interpreting the legal documents and legislation into English so that concerned Ulwuatu-based tourists and expats can support the local community in seeking answers.
Community members are especially concerned about the fragile nature of the cliff structure following a cliff collapse during construction work in May 2024.
During the development of a new hotel complex on Pemutih Pecatu Beach in Uluwatu, a large segment of the limestone cliff collapsed into the ocean below.
Though the development company pledged to ‘restore the affected areas’ local communities noted that nothing can restore an ancient limestone cliff face nor undo the damage the marine ecosystem on the shoreline below.
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Harrison
Saturday 14th of September 2024
Follow the money.
Exp
Thursday 12th of September 2024
Environmental Impact Assessment (AMDAL) is mandatory in the case of changes to the landscape.
Obviously nobody care about AMDAL in Bali. Just look at all the cliff and beach vandalization by private actors reported in the press and still going on. Now we see also the gov. themselves skip the AMDAL requirement.
And make no mistake; even with an AMDAL the outcome would be the same. Just look at all the palm oil and mining destroying Indonesia. It is all about power and money; the root cause of all the ills in Indonesia; corruption.
BaliEyeWitness...
Saturday 14th of September 2024
@Exp, sadly true