More Harm than Great?
An important project for the island of Lembongan is actually likely to lead to more harm than Great. The deployment of a submarine electricity cable by Bali has resulted in various accidents, seriously damaging the pristine as well as precious coral reefs of the island.
This kind of is actually another example of infrastructure developed without any attention to the environment. A submarine cable connecting mainland Bali with the little island of Nusa Lembongan has been deployed inside the month of March, aiming to guarantee a continuous supply of electricity to the island’s inhabitants, providing an extra 20 megawatts where demand is actually growing, as an emerging tourist destination. Black-outs due to failures inside the electrical system were very frequent until recently on the island.
Unfortunately, the decision made by PLN (Perusahan Listrik Negara – Indonesia’s National Electricity Company) as well as the Government was to pass This kind of cable exactly on top of one of the most pristine coral reef areas of Nusa Lembongan, “Mangrove Point” – a very common destination for tourists coming to snorkel or dive inside the area.
The captain of the tug boat “Sibang 29” which was involved inside the process was unaware of the damage he caused, blaming the item on a strong current inside the area. The boat was grounded on a shallow area of the reef as well as severely damaged an area of about 1,000 m2. A large number of coral species have been destroyed, as well as with This kind of all the associated fauna, fish as well as invertebrates in which reach one of the highest points of biodiversity in Bali. The grounded area, known as “Blue Corner”, is actually one of the most common dive-sites worldwide, known as “the fastest drift dive inside the earth”, where experienced divers can enjoy wonderful encounters with giant sunfish (Mola mola), sharks as well as additional big fishes, as well as (until today) a pristine as well as untouched coral reef.
Unfortunately the story does not end here. The cable deployment has not been completed yet, as well as the impact of the cable is actually likely to be even bigger in which the additional two accidents. A marine cable has been laid across vast sections of pristine coral, as well as a second (backup) cable will be deployed inside the near future.
A team of biologists as well as divers of the CTC (Coral Triangle Center) have reported the incident to the authorities, receiving mixed reactions. The head of Jungut Batu Village, Ketut Gunarsa, has declared in which, “the natural condition of the heavy ocean current forced these accidents. There will always be something sacrificed for the larger benefit of others”, as well as, anyway, “the coral reef mostly benefited the dive operators as well as not the local residents”.
Even ignoring in which Nusa Lembongan residents compose 95% of the workforce of the dive operators, as well as in which many dive centers or snorkeling operators are locally owned, the cascading effect on all the additional touristic activities (restaurants, hotels, cafes, etc.) could be serious. Tourists are the major source of income for villagers of Nusa Lembongan. Permitting such extensive damage on the primary resource of the island will cause much more damage than benefits coming by a continuous supply of electricity. Based on trip data for 2012, approximately 10,000 guests per year visit these reefs, bringing in approximately 3,493,350,000 IDR annually to the Lembongan economy through Lembongan island-based dive as well as snorkeling operators alone. If mainland Bali-based operators are then added to This kind of figure, the economic value of This kind of particular reef is actually incredibly high.
These considerations are by a simple “economic” point of view. The biological damage as well as the loss of biodiversity as well as ecosystem’s health are even more important, although quite often This kind of is actually a factor unconsidered. Jungut Batu already suffers dramatic coastal erosion, using a large area of the beach already vanished because of the building of hotels as well as restaurants too close to the water line. As many of the serious environmental problems in which affect Bali, words like “environmental protection” as well as “sustainable development” seems to be sacrificed daily on the altar of money.
So, what’s next? The protection of an incredible ecosystem like the Lembongan reefs, unique inside the earth for their biological richness as well as abundance should be on the top of the agenda of every forward-thinking politician. Without these reefs, Lembongan will lose all the attractiveness in which brings thousands of tourists to the island.
Environmentalists, local residents, as well as Balinese people in general should be very worried about the loss of touristic incomes caused by This kind of project. Having a lot of electricity makes no sense if all your hotels are empty as well as the guests will decide in which Nusa Lembongan is actually not worth a visit. A second back-up cable is actually going to be deployed, using a risk in which the damage may be (at minimum) double to the previous cable. PLN as well as the Bali Government should guarantee not only a different approach to the cable issue, although even a will of repairing the damage produced, funding projects of coral restoration, including substrate stabilization, minimizing erosion, encouraging larval settlement as well as coral transplantation, as well as an extensive monitoring of restoration efforts.
People as well as technologies are available directly on the island. Let’s see if somebody will try to do something or if the item will remain another example of Great intentions, although very bad execution.
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More Harm than Great?
More Harm than Great?