Eco Disaster Candi Dasa

Markit

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Sep 3, 2007
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Some idiot decided to build 4 large floating platforms from concrete and station them in a part of Candi Dasa's bay without adult supervision. After a few days 2 of the platforms have declared their freedom and are now smashing against the rocks on the shore.

We presume this is all about beach reclamation but nobody knows for sure as the people that have done it are only very occasionally to be seen.

None of this would be anything worth remark except that the concrete rafts are filled with polystyrene foam so that they float. Since the rafts have been pounding themselves into dust on the beach all this plastic shit is now pulverized and washing up on beaches as far away as Padang Bai.

My question to the forum is does anyone have a (only legal, murder has already been discussed) idea how the owners for this disaster can be called to answer for this and made to clean it up?

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Melati

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Mar 4, 2017
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what do you mean about beach reclamation?
what for the platforms suppose to be?
wow, is sad
 

Markit

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To answer you comments: The beach reclamation is something that's been ghosting around Candi for decades - For those that don't know the story: 30+ years ago the wise people of Candi dasa decided they would like to build some houses and shops to attract the tourists that were coming for the lovely white sand beach. So to supply the necessary cheap stone for building the wise people back then dynamited the offshore coral and used them to build with.

Surprise, surprise the much loved Candi white sandy beach vanished without the coral. That's where we've been now for years - hoping, planing, begging the gov to do something.

The cement pontoons (we suppose) were the first step in this plan to first block the pounding waves on the shore and then pipe in fresh sand from greater depth to recreate a new beach for Candi Dasa.

Started out well, NOT!

The pontoons have now been towed off down to the next beach to hide them or repair them but who knows?! No one we have talked to will claim any responsibility for this fiasco or can tell us who is answerable for it. In true Balinese style everyone is loudly ignoring it and hoping it will go away.

I suspect the same office that planned and carried out the Tanah Ampo Cruise Ship harbor by Pandang Bai that floated off in the first storm and was too short to reach the ships anyway had their hand in this idiocy too.
 
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ronb

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Aug 14, 2007
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Markit, your story paints the Cand Dasa locals as the villains. The story I heard was the Soeharto family pre-1998 when they had power wanted to buy land in Candi Dasa for tourism developments. The locals according to my story resisted and would not sell. So the Soehartos who had building construction elsewhere came and took the coral reefs intending harm. If anyone knows theREAl story, sing out.
 

Markit

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Markit, your story paints the Cand Dasa locals as the villains. The story I heard was the Soeharto family pre-1998 when they had power wanted to buy land in Candi Dasa for tourism developments. The locals according to my story resisted and would not sell. So the Soehartos who had building construction elsewhere came and took the coral reefs intending harm. If anyone knows theREAl story, sing out.

Ron I like your story much better and hope someone will agree. I will also check with some of the older Candidasians for their version.
 

Markit

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Markit, your story paints the Cand Dasa locals as the villains. The story I heard was the Soeharto family pre-1998 when they had power wanted to buy land in Candi Dasa for tourism developments. The locals according to my story resisted and would not sell. So the Soehartos who had building construction elsewhere came and took the coral reefs intending harm. If anyone knows theREAl story, sing out.
Talked this evening to an old Buitaner (5k from Candidasa) about the beach and coral reefs offshore and he assured me it was the local people that couldn't afford to by cement to build their houses breaking up the coral reef with crowbars and then burning the coral for the lime in it who were responsible for the demise of the beach in Candi. Laughed when I mentioned the Soeharto story...?
 

ronb

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Aug 14, 2007
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Talked this evening to an old Buitaner (5k from Candidasa) about the beach and coral reefs offshore and he assured me it was the local people that couldn't afford to by cement to build their houses breaking up the coral reef with crowbars and then burning the coral for the lime in it who were responsible for the demise of the beach in Candi. Laughed when I mentioned the Soeharto story...?
Oh well! It's a good story. :)
 
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hadodi

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Nov 8, 2013
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Markit, your story paints the Cand Dasa locals as the villains. The story I heard was the Soeharto family pre-1998 when they had power wanted to buy land in Candi Dasa for tourism developments. The locals according to my story resisted and would not sell. So the Soehartos who had building construction elsewhere came and took the coral reefs intending harm. If anyone knows theREAl story, sing out.
When I came to beautiful Candidasa 1986 the first time it was a phantastic paradise. Few years later I noticed the coral breaking when low tide. The greed which is charcteristic for human being was "honoured" by nature, telling them MONEY YOU CAN NOT EAT
 

tintin

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Sep 13, 2005
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I first came to Bali, as a tourist, in 1984. In the following years, when I became more of a “resident bule”, I had many opportunities to spend time in Candi Dasa, as it was one of my favorite places in Bali: small, quiet, unpretentious, with friendly locals. I remember the many peaceful evening dinners at the terraces along the beach of the some dozen restaurants, which existed at the time: what a glorious, peaceful time this was!


I personally witness the disappearance of the beach, and the collapse of the shore due to the destruction of the barrier reef BY THE LOCALS, and when they realized what a mess they had created, the frantic construction of stone and concrete walls and the jetties that followed. Of course, the key word here is “locals,” who are certainly not the women who carried the corals or the guys who dug it out.


Here are some pictures taken in 1986. In particular, the “smoking gun” pictures, of the women carrying the corals. Also, a picture of the ashram and its lagoon, and finally one looking South, from the North part of the beach, at the sharp turn of the road to Amlapura.

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Markit

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What fantastic pictures and I would be eternally grateful for any more you care to share - I will share the ones you have already sent (Daniel) as they are possibly more important today than they ever were - politically...

With respect, I believe your final sunset picture is, in fact, on the road pointed south towards Buitan/Denpasa?
 

tintin

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My last picture was taken from the small hotel on the beach, Sindhu Beach, just off the lagoon, Candidasa North, looking Southwest, across Teluk Amuk, toward Bukit Indrakila.
 
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hadodi

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Nov 8, 2013
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My last picture was taken from the small hotel on the beach, just off the lagoon, Candi Dasa North, looking Southwest, across Teluk Amuk, to Bukit Indrakila.
This beautiful view I had from Losmen Lilaberata. They started to take the corals and after few years, the nature stroke back. But people do not learn do Not want to see the obvious - just look at this idiot trump. The next generations will get the bill for this desastrous behaviorimage.jpg
 

Markit

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This beautiful view I had from Losmen Lilaberata. They started to take the corals and after few years, the nature stroke back. But people do not learn do Not want to see the obvious - just look at this idiot trump. The next generations will get the bill for this desastrous behaviorView attachment 2917

Then I'm massively confused: if this is a picture of when Candi still had a beach then it must be at least 30 years old? That would seem to say that they had massive plastic rubbish problems even then and I doubt that!
 

hadodi

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Nov 8, 2013
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Then I'm massively confused: if this is a picture of when Candi still had a beach then it must be at least 30 years old? That would seem to say that they had massive plastic rubbish problems even then and I doubt that!
Sorry. My quote was referring to the lovely pics of tintin and my pic shows Legain/Kuta Beach every year.
 

tintin

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Ok, Markit, relax, I'm still on the Candidasa subject. Here are few more pictures.

1) The beach, looking North past the Sindhu Brata (North Candidasa)
2) The beach, looking South from "down town" Candidasa.
3) The coast, looking South from the main road overlooking the beach, right at the entrance of Candidasa img6229 (Medium).jpg

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img6227 (Medium).jpg .
 

hadodi

Member
Nov 8, 2013
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NE Bali
I was wondering
1) who did this? It could not have been finished overnight, could it?
2) Did NOBODY see it happening? There are living quite some orang bule near the beach... nobody saw anything?