A plant that will desalinate ocean water for southern Bali may be built on Kuta Beach. The plan is to connect it to Ngurah Rai Airport first.
The idea of starting with Kuta came from the regent, Wayan Adi Arnawa. The exact site will be chosen after a technical assessment. The authorities are looking at plots of land the local government already owns.
The airport needs about 70 litres of water per second, and at the moment this is drawn from rivers. If the airport switches to desalinated water, that volume could be redirected to other parts of the south.
The plant is meant to make the water supply less dependent on rivers, which are getting shallower every year. The south currently needs about 2000 litres per second, but only around 800 are supplied. During droughts, villages on the Bukit went without water for weeks.
The local water utility has been discussing a desalination plant since last year. It is now obtaining permits and assessing the plant's environmental impact. Adi Arnawa has instructed the utility to find an experienced partner.
In Nusa Dua, a separate plant is already helping hotels out when the mains supply can't cope.
The water utility is set to receive 150 billion rupiah through 2029, including for pipes from the Tukad Mati River. The regent hopes to resolve the water shortage in the south in 2027.
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