Community Comes Together To Begin Clean Up Operation At Bali’s Beloved Bingin Beach 

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Uluwatu’s Bingin Beach has been hitting headlines over the last few months.

In July, the Bali Provincial Governor acted on demolition orders at the popular surfer spot on the Bukit Peninsula.

Four months on, and demolition work has been completed, but tonnes of debris remain. 

Tourists, community members, and local businesses have raised formal complaints that the demolition debris at Bingin Beach has not been removed as promised. While the entire demolition process was highly contentious and received backlash from the community and tourists, Bingin lovers had no option but to accept the fate of the more than 40 buildings set to be demolished when the bulldozers moved in.

However, what is now a highly concerning issue is that very little of the debris from the buildings has been removed. With heavy rains weighing down the piles of construction material, debris has been sliding onto the iconic beachfront, creating an unsightly mess and posing a significant risk to public health and environmental hygiene. 

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A post shared by Piter Panjaitan (@piterpanjaitan)

Over the weekend, local community members, including community organiser and local businessman and philanthropist Piter Panjaitan, conducted a clean-up operation on Bingin Beach. In a social media post, Panjaitan shared ‘We’ve got a lot of things coming out to the ocean, we’ve got the steels…we’ve got the bajaringan (light steel), also multiple nails, that we actually found here [which is] the most dangerous one.”

He continued, “We’re hoping that the government will clean up the beach as soon as possible, so we ask you, we plead you to the governor, Pak Koster, Pak Giri, dan juga Pak Adi Arnawa, tolong ya [help, yes?]” 

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Last week, the Badung Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) Chief I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara essentially said that funding for the cleanup operation had run out and that he was waiting for approval to divert more funds to the efforts.

He told reporters,  “We’ve actually pulled the debris up several times, but with rising sea levels and waves, it’s been pulled back up again.”

Adding “If we want to continue the cleanup, we’re waiting for approval for the budget shift. After that, we can resume the cleanup.”

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Speaking to reporters on Monday, 10th November, the Head of the Bali Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, explained that officers conducted a spot check on the demotion site and the Bingin Beach area. He said that the beach is not only strewn with debris from the illegal buildings.

He noted, “That’s not pure trash from the demotion, it’s also trash that comes in. During the rainy season, especially with high waves, the direction is definitely towards Kuta, Jimbaran, and Canggu. Most of that trash is not ours.” 

Dharmadi was asked by reporters to comment on viral videos of debris, trash, and ocean waste littering Bingin Beach. He shared, “It’s still in the process of being cleaned and organised. We’ll wait and see, as it’s Badung’s responsibility to clean it up completely. What’s certain is that the demolition project is still ongoing.”

He continued, “The target completion time was actually one month, but in reality, the terrain is very difficult, so more than one month, almost two months, is quite a long time.”

Dharmadi concluded, “During the rainy seasons, when the wind is blowing towards the area, garbage comes in all the time. It’s cleaned up all the time, but doesn’t have to be finished [daily] like in Kuta.”

“That’s why heavy equipment is being deployed to speed up the cleanup process. That’s a risk in coastal areas, not just in Badung, but other areas also experiencing the same conditions.”

Tourists visiting Bingin Beach are advised to be mindful of their footing and keep an eye out for debris that could cause injury, such as nails, shards of metal, stray wires, and sharp-edged demolition waste that now lies as much beneath the sand as above.