Despite Protests in Bali, Benoa Bay Reclamation Project Moves Ahead Legally

The Benoa Bay reclamation by PT Tirta Wahana Bali International has drawn fervent protests. yet the project looks to be legal, in addition to also will be underway shortly.

Although Bali is usually a serene place with sparkling sunrises, picturesque beaches, in addition to also a spiritually enlightened culture, the ‘island of a thousand temples’ currently features a storm brewing. The Benoa Bay reclamation project is usually the source of an increasingly polarized public in Bali.

Benoa Bay, which sits next to the Ngurah Rai International Airport, has long been honoured as a symbol of mangrove conservation. The zone also touches key parts of urban areas in Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, in addition to also Tabanan.

Benoa Bay, Bali – the location of a massive reclamation project by PT Tirta Wahana Bali International | Courtesy Wikimedia

The Benoa Bay reclamation controversy has been within the works for quite some time, as former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) signed a regulation just a few months before he left office, which might allow for Benoa Bay to be altered by a conservation in addition to also environmental buffer zone, in addition to also transformed into a bona fide business area.

The brand-new regulation removes articles that will declare Benoa Bay an environmentally protected conservation area, as outlined within the previous regulation.

This specific also decreases the scope of conservation by adding the key phrase “part of” in reference to the areas of Serangan in addition to also Pudut Island, implying that will certain parts of those areas can today be developed.

Under This specific regulation, PT Tirta Wahana Bali International (TWBI), as an investor, can reclaim 838 hectares of the area for 30 years having a possible 20-year extension. The company plans to build a long list of tourism sites. These attractions may include nightclubs, a theme park, resort hotels, a golf course, a luxury shopping complex, restaurants, bars, cafes, apartment buildings, in addition to also a slew of condominiums in addition to also villas.

TWBI is usually a subsidiary of the Artha Graha Network, a Jakarta-based property company controlled by billionaire Tomy Winata. The firm has invested more than US$3 billion for development sites across 12 brand-new islands in Benoa Bay.

Public debate surrounding the Benoa Bay reclamation has brought forth several points of view. Those who feel Great about This specific argue that will the area of Pudut Island in Tanjung Benoa is usually already endangered, with dredging in addition to also natural erosion projected to decrease its size by ten hectares within the coming years. Those in favour of the reclamation say the project will transform Pudut Island into ‘Pudut Cultural Island’, in addition to also in effect, expand its land mass.

Additionally, the reclamation area was also said to be vulnerable to tsunamis in addition to also likely affected by climate change. In that will respect, using the reclamation of Benoa Bay can improve its competitiveness as a tourist destination. Supporters say This specific can offer high-end resorts with environmentally friendly business practices. They also think developers can set up some kind of disaster mitigation infrastructure.

Parties that will believe the project is usually a bad thing say the area is usually home to at least 70 sacred Hindu landmarks, all of which need to be protected for religious tradition in addition to also continuity in Bali. Hindus consider Benoa Bay to be a holy area due to the presence of 60 natural sites, including 19 estuaries in addition to also 17 smaller islands that will emerge during low tide.

“We already hold the master plan in addition to also This specific has been approved by the central government. yet we will also accommodate different stakeholders’ advice. They are fishermen, people who live at Benoa Bay, the provincial government, in addition to also different stakeholders. We will embrace their suggestions,” says director of TWBI Leemarvin Lieano in an interview with Indonesia Expat.

At the moment, TWBI is usually waiting for an environmental impact assessment study by Indonesia’s central government. This specific is usually one of the last required documents to obtain before work can begin in Benoa Bay.

Leemarvin has his media responses all teed up. “This specific’s still a long journey, in addition to also we haven’t commenced the reclamation yet. We are open to any input by every community,” he says. “The most important part is usually the reclamation project is usually not for us as a developer, yet This specific is usually for Bali.”

I Wayan ‘Gendo’ Suardana, coordinator of the Forum of Balinese Against Reclamation (ForBALI), has commenced a different movement. ForBALI is usually comprised of hundreds of student groups, non-governmental organizations, musicians, in addition to also different parties who have staged routine protests every month since 2011 against the reclamation.

“We won’t make any agreements with investors or the local government because, by our point of view, there is usually a lot of manipulation in addition to also deception going on. We won’t negotiate with criminals,” says Gendo.

Gendo claims there are 32 traditional villages around Tanjung Benoa that will support the movement together with high priests by the Indonesian Hindu Religious Council. He says, “This specific was such a pity that will SBY issued the regulation within the months before ending his administration to pave the way due to This specific reclamation project.”

According to Gendo, Benoa Bay is usually an estuary for a few big rivers. If 50 percent of the water within the bay turns to land, the surroundings could be in danger. The mouth leading by the bay to the open sea is usually a narrow one. Gendo believes that will after several hours of rainfall, the sea could rise to dangerous levels. “Mangrove trees in addition to also coral reefs within the area are also in danger,” he adds.

coral reefs are threatened due to benoa bay's project

Coral reefs in Benoa Bay are threatened due to the reclamation project | Courtesy Wikimedia

ForBALI has sent multiple plea letters to President Joko Widodo, asking him to reconsider the regulation in addition to also halt the Benoa Bay reclamation project.

“We want This specific reclamation to stop, period. Too much manipulation in addition to also manoeuvring by the local government has taken place, such as the decree that will granted management rights to TWBI based on controversial feasibility study results by scholars outside Bali,” says Gendo.

The feasibility study in question was a joint project conducted by the Bandung Institute of Technology, the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Gajah Mada University, in addition to also Hasanuddin University. The study concluded that will the project was viable, yet a more recent study in 2013 — one by Udayana University in Denpasar, meant to argue against the first one — stated reclamation of Benoa Bay is usually unfeasible.

The controversial rule (No. 2138/02-C/HK/2012), signed on December 26, 2012, granted private investor PT TWBI permission to develop in addition to also reclaim Benoa Bay for an integrated tourist development.

“The reclamation hasn’t begun yet because we are fighting against This specific. We consider This specific as our success story, yet we don’t know what will happen within the future. today they are trying to change their words by ‘reclamation’ to ‘revitalization’ in addition to also invite people to clean up beaches [in addition to also participate in] different charity activities. yet actually, they only changed the word, not their goals,” Gendo argues.

In June 2013, the Artha Graha Peduli Foundation charity brought football star Cristiano Ronaldo to Benoa Bay to attend a mangrove planting event, which was also attended by then-president SBY. The Real Madrid player was later appointed as the ‘mangrove ambassador’ by a local environmental organization, supported by Artha Graha.