Tourists Must Be Mindful of Water Consumption At Bali’s Most Popular Island Getaway

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Bali is in the midst of a 14-day drought emergency. Many areas of the province have not received rain for over 100 days.

It has now been confirmed that bottled water providers on Nusa Penida are struggling to source suppliers who have sufficient stock to send over from the main island of Bali. 

Late last week, water suppliers in Nusa Penida announced that there was no more bottled drinking water in Nusa Penida. Dew Tirta, one of the main suppliers of 19l water bottles in Nusa Penisa said, “I’ve looked at various wholesalers in Nusa Penida, but they all ran out of stock of bottled drinking water.”

He added, “As a trader, I find it difficult to find bottled water, what about the general public?” Reports suggest that the lack of supply of bottled drinking water to Nusa Penida is in part due to routine maintenance on the Nusa Jaya Abadi ship which usually transports truckloads of water from Bali to the outlying islands every week. 

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The shortage has been brought to the attention of the Klungkung Regency trading authorities who are looking into it, but this is not the first time that Nusa Penida has experienced shortages of bottled water. 

While many tourists may claim that they drink tap water in Bali and are just fine, the reality is that not even local residents consume water directly from the tap.

Either resorts and family homes install water filters or buy in the 19l bottles of drinking water that are supplied across the island. 

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With this in mind, tourists heading to Nusa Penida in the coming weeks should be mindful of their drinking water consumption, and where possible bring over an extra pack of water when they board the fast boats from the main island of Bali.

Those with access to reusable bottles with water filters like LifeStraw, or water purification tablets, may be advisable for tourists visiting Bali in the coming weeks and months; simply as a precautionary measure should the shortage roll on longer than anticipated. 

In addition to the shortages in the supply of drinking water in Nusa Penida, all of Bali is currently experiencing a drought.

In Jembrana Regency in the west of Bali, over 1,150 families have had their fresh water supply impacted by the drought. 

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Local leaders and disaster response teams have been on hand to supply clean water to drought-stricken families, though it’s proving to be a mammoth task.

As the island’s water trucks have been transporting water to help combat wildfires in the east and landfill fires at Suwung TPA and Mandung TPA and as a precaution at other landfill sites across the island, the trucks and their drivers are in increasingly high demand.

The Acting Chief Executive (Plt) BPBD Jembrana I Putu Agus Artana Putra, last Tuesday, said that residents experiencing a clean water crisis have been assisted with clean water 24/7.

In several drought-stricken areas, reservoirs have also been installed to facilitate water distribution. “In some areas, there are people who need water every two days.”

“What is clear is that if there is a demand, we will distribute it immediately,” he said.

Despite the 14-day emergency declaration and intensifying efforts to tackle both drought and fires in Bali, the head of the National Disaster Agency for Bali, Made Rentin, has confirmed that Bali remains a safe and enjoyable destination for tourists on vacation. 

Rentin explained on Monday 23rd October “Foreign tourists who come just enjoy their holidays because the context and meaning of the forest and landfill fires and drought disaster alert are [for us] to be prepared for various things [escalating disasters].”

Tourists visiting more rural and off-the-beaten-track destinations may be asked to be mindful of their water consumption by resorts in areas most affected by the current drought.