Bali's Bukit Water Crisis Could Cost Rp150 Billion to Fix

The local parliament has approved 150 billion rupiah, about $8.3 million, for Tirta Mangutama, the water utility that supplies the Bukit.

The money is to be paid in instalments in 2027, 2028 and 2029. According to the parliament's chairman, it should end the outages first and foremost in Jimbaran, Ungasan and Pecatu.

The utility itself had asked for 73 billion, but council members decided that wasn't enough. The chairman explained that the Bukit needs 2,000 litres per second, while that amount of money would only cover about 1,500.

As a first step, he proposes feeding water from the Tukad Mati River in Kuta into the network. The utility was also advised to consider desalination: the parliament expects the new roads to speed up construction in the south and push up demand.

The decision still has to be formally finalised. No date has been announced yet for when more water will become available.

The Bukit's main source is the reservoir at the Estuary Dam in southern Denpasar, and its water level has dropped during the long drought. The rivers are providing less and less water, and the utility is looking for other sources.

Meanwhile, residents of the peninsula are ordering water tankers. In late September, the main pump at the water treatment plant broke down, leaving Jimbaran, Ungasan, Pecatu and neighbouring villages without water for up to seven days, while in Kutuh the outages dragged on for more than three weeks.

Sources: detikBali, Bali Post, Beritabali