I Love Bali: Erosion and the disappearing island

Posted by Administrator on 10th February, 2014

As witnessed all around the world, our climate is changing quite dramatically with deadly droughts, floods, storms and heat waves turning into regular events.

The impact is also greater, with more and more people living in exposed locations due to the rapidly expanding coastal population. The disasters are growing stronger, lasting longer and becoming less and less predictable. The increasing temperature is in turn is causing global sea levels to rise.

These are now inescapable facts, and, as the world continues to pump more and more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, it can only get worse.

The above are singular events, but there is one major issue that is constant and often overlooked.

As a result of the rising and warming seas, the never-ending human encroachment and overexploitation, the world is seeing an increase in coastal erosion at a pace perhaps never before experienced by mankind.

As the sea level rises, both the natural and artificial barriers that absorb wave energy are becoming less effective.

As the sea temperature increases, the ferocity and unpredictability of storms grows. Many of the worst ever known tropical storms have occurred in the last decade.

While the manmade barriers can be rebuilt, many of the natural barriers, such as reefs and mangroves, will just diminish and eventually fade away.

The reefs’ ability to regenerate is severely reduced by water chemistry changes induced by greenhouse gas absorption. The result is that once protected coastlines, such as the beach at Sanur, will be opened to the worsening threat, creating yet more erosion and adding more cost to inaction.

Farther up the island, the coast around Pura Masceti should be a warning for how rapidly an area can be eroded. This particular stretch of several miles is suffering from the same problems as many other low-lying regions, but it is also being exploited for gravel, pebbles and stones.

Supriadi, a local resident who was collecting pebbles, explained that the land had fallen back about 5 meters in the last three years. The evidence of destroyed walls and property damage certainly supported his suggestion, although the actual rate could not be confirmed.

The damage however was real and substantial and, as a result, several prime properties, seemingly built in direct violation of the island’s building regulations being less than 100 meters from the high tide level, are now under direct threat.

Are there regulations in place to control what is being taken, or will it continue until a major catastrophe strikes? The river basin is being exploited at an alarming rate, as truck after truck exits carrying the pebbles and rocks favored by landscapers, builders, plant pot decorators and home owners.

Down on the beach, the mechanical extraction is replaced by manual labor, where hundreds of men and women, both old and young, are collecting pebbles to supplement their incomes.

The impact of the extraction may not be as rapid as wholesale dredging, but the result will be the same, namely the beach will destabilize adding significantly to the threat of erosion.

Many of the erosion issues Bali is suffering from are manmade and can be slowed by sensible building and extraction policies.

Globally, how much damage coastal erosion will cause depends on the willingness to make sacrifices and adopt less harmful technologies. The rate of erosion is clearly linked to our ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the effects of global warming.

Today the island stands on the brink of overexploitation. Some would argue it has already passed the point of no return, and that might be proven to be so.

However, the impact can be mitigated. All we need is the political will to do what is right for the island. A good start would be to not ignore building restrictions, such as the moratorium on hotels introduced by the governor, and control what we exploit and how.

Last changed: 10th February, 2014 at 10:17 PM