Kedonganan Beach, Bali’s beloved beach, is buried beneath tons of plastic waste.
This beach is right next to Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
This is not the first instance that locals or visitors have had their travel plans disrupted by such a phenomenon.
Balinese citizens took to social media and reported that this was the largest amount of marine debris they had ever seen.
What is the cause of this avalanche of trash that has become so common? Anak Agung Dalem, the local environment agency has an answer. Indonesians have littered the country’s lands with plastic bottles, among other garbage.
When the monsoon winds and rains start between November to March, the swollen river carries tons of plastic, branches, and debris into the ocean. It’s only a matter time before the once-pristine Badung Regency beaches are affected.
According to the latest news from the local authorities, they have been working nonstop since March 18th to collect the garbage. Since 18 March, more than 300 employees from the locality and six excavators are working continuously to collect garbage.
This process must be accelerated because unkempt beaches have a negative impact on both fishing and tourism. Fishermen have been forced to relocate to other areas to protect their livelihoods, which has increased production costs.
The problem of beaches covered in garbage tends to get worse over time.
Balinese authorities developed two strategies to combat this problem.
Bali has banned production, use, and distribution of plastic single-use in 2018. But due to pandemics, this didn’t take off until after 2022.
The government has been fighting for years to stop residents from polluting Bali’s rivers, lands and oceans.
officials are implementing environmental programs to educate locals on the impact of their negligence.
In 2013, two sisters from Bali, who were committed to stopping Bali’s degrading state, started the ” bye-bye plastic bags (BBPB) foundation. The initiative has led to the creation of over 50 BBPT teams around the world. It is considered to be one of the most successful campaigns against plastic waste.
