Scary lessons from the tourism boom in the paradise island of Bali

Severe flash floods in Bali this past week have killed at least 18 people and displaced 149, raising questions about the ecological future of the popular tourist island.

Tourists wade through water in Badung, Bali on September 10 - Photo: REUTERS

Environmental experts warn that a combination of massive tourism development, deforestation and poor urban management is pushing Bali to an ecological "breaking point" where extreme weather events could become more serious disasters in the coming decades.

Rapid development erodes natural barriers

According to the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency, rainfall of more than 200mm per day on September 9 and 10 caused widespread flash floods, especially in Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Buleleng and Karangasem in Bali.

More than 200 tonnes of rubbish have been washed away, blocking rivers, causing them to swell and flood residential areas on the island, spokesman Abdul Muhari said. He warned that Bali could face major floods “in the next 50 or 100 years” if current trends do not change.

Deforestation and conversion of agricultural land to housing, hotels and shopping malls have reduced the natural water permeability of Bali’s soil. Between 2012 and 2019, Bali lost 553 hectares of forest and nearly 650 hectares of agricultural land – an alarming figure for a small island.

Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq also warned that Bali's landscape was being "disturbed" by villas and hotels built on hillsides and in the middle of rice fields. He asked the Balinese government to stop issuing permits for new projects that threaten the environment.

In response, Governor Wayan Koster announced that he would stop converting agricultural land, especially rice fields, to commercial purposes and only "selectively issue" permits to build private houses on agricultural land.

Debris after a flood in the island city of Denpasar on September 12 - Photo: AFP

Brink of ecological crisis

Experts say the underlying cause of this situation lies in the tourism boom. In 2024, Bali welcomed 6.3 million international visitors, far exceeding the local population of 4.3 million, contributing 44% of Indonesia's total tourism revenue of 16.7 billion USD.

A wave of investment in resort villas, fueled by policies such as the "digital nomad" visa, has caused agricultural land and forests to shrink rapidly.

Many investors and tourists prefer villas scattered on cliffs or among rice fields, instead of choosing traditional hotels, said Mr. I Nyoman Gede Maha Putra, a planning expert at Warmadewa University.

He warned that rapid tourism growth had led many local landowners to view land as a "capital accumulation tool", rather than serving the community as before.

In addition, many construction projects also do not comply with guidelines - which require houses to be built on high, infertile land and avoid areas near rivers and streams.

The director of the Walhi environmental organization in Bali, Made Krisna Dinata, stressed that each converted plot of rice means losing a part of the subak irrigation system - a UNESCO world heritage site.

"One hectare of agricultural land with a depth of 7cm can hold up to 3,000 tons of water. When these areas are concreted, Bali will be vulnerable to natural disasters," he said, warning that the island was on the "brink of ecological crisis" and vulnerable to climate change such as flooding.

He called on the Bali government to reassess all infrastructure projects, tighten land use planning and restore ecosystems to reduce the risk of flooding.

HA DAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bai-hoc-dang-so-tu-bung-no-du-lich-o-dao-thien-duong-bali-20250917170211854.htm