Thread: Tourism development the answer to stop beach erosion in Bali

The Gianyar administration has requested emergency assistance from the provincial administration to halt sea erosion, which is destroying parts of its shoreline.

The regency said the problem had reached a “critical” level.

“Many people have lost their land and rice fields due to this problem. We expect the provincial administration to launch a program to mitigate this problem and prevent the erosion from worsening,” Gianyar public works agency head Nyoman Nuadi said.

The impact of the sea erosion is most visible along the 18-kilometer stretch of shoreline from Ketewel to Lebih, both of which used to be popular tourist attractions.

The erosion there has all but destroyed the sandy beaches and has begun to engulf the surrounding private properties, from food stalls, to houses and rice fields.

“In Lebih and Ketewel, the shoreline has moved 100 meters inland,” Nuadi said.

The provincial administration, he said, had agreed to provide assistance to Lebih and Ketewel by building concrete wave barriers, among other steps.

The Gianyar administration has also proposed a less-conventional strategy to deal with the erosion.

The strategy involves transforming the former greenbelt, a no-build zone, which stretches parallel to and is inclusive of the shoreline, into a tourist development area.

The logic is that the development would attract investors who would build tourism facilities, from villas to hotels to restaurants.

To secure their investment, these investors would finance efforts to mitigate the sea erosion.

“We expect that eventually the investors and owners of tourism facilities will carry out erosion mitigation and prevention,” Nuadi said.

Gianyar Legislative Council has given the strategy the green light. Previously, the Bali governor issued an executive letter stating that the shoreline area along Ketewel and Lebih was a no-build zone.

Gianyar says tourism is cure for sea erosion | The Jakarta Post