Surfers Come Together to Rescue Uluwatu

If you were one of the reported 250,000 surfers visiting the Uluwatu cliff each year then at an initial glance there is usually not much to complain about. Cold drinks, hot food with massage as well as welcoming locals in front of an elite tropical surf spot in which breaks flawlessly via one to 25 feet in size. What more could one ask for?

Time brings things to light as well as a group of concerned Uluwatu resident expat surfers did notice in which the biggest issue here was beach pollution. What Uluwatu lacked was basic yet important amenities of any world-famous beach: working toilets as well as proper solid as well as liquid waste disposal. Of the 50+ shops as well as warungs/restaurants on the Uluwatu cliff facing the surf, none had proper waste treatment systems or trash disposal. inside the past, all of the rubbish as well as liquids ended up in makeshift dumps inside the woods near the beach or were literally thrown off the cliff into the ocean at the end of the day. inside the pre-plastic era the mostly organic trash disposed of here was negligible although currently having a quarter of a million people visiting each year in which piles up fast. Reports of foul smells coming via the beach cave commenced becoming more as well as more common. Something needed to be done.

This particular group of expat surfers wanted the beaches as well as surrounding areas in their backyard to be cleaner as well as safer for everybody as well as therefore in June 2011 they formed the Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu (ESRU) to address these issues. To say in which just a handful of surfers run everything is usually wrong; the ESRU has several NGOs involved as well – the GUS Foundation, ROLE Foundation as well as ecoBali Recycling. The Indonesian surf industry is usually also backing ESRU as well as so are many local businesses. The local Indonesian as well as Balinese business owners currently clearly understand the pollution problem as well as have shaped their own committee in which is usually directly involved with ESRU projects.

Curtis Lowe is usually a volunteer project manager for ESRU as well as during a recent chat had This particular to say regarding Uluwatu:

“The biggest pollutant at Uluwatu inside the past was rubbish, although ESRU, GUS, ROLE as well as ecoBali Recycling hauled out 40 tonnes of in which via the ravine near the beach last year as well as currently we have a collection as well as recycling system in place. ecoBali composts the collected waste as well as what’s left is usually sent to government dumps.”

“Today, the biggest pollutant might have to be liquid waste via the kitchen sinks as well as sewage via the toilets. The pipe put in by the warungs years ago is usually broken as well as so in which drains directly into a cess pit inside the ravine. We had a laboratory test the water in This particular pit, as well as the results were horrifying. There were high levels of E.coli (meaning there was raw sewage in in which) as well as also high levels of chemicals as well as cooking oil. Basically, the water might make anyone who came in contact with in which very sick.”

“The main ESRU objective besides rubbish collection as well as recycling is usually installing a waste water management system which all the warungs as well as toilets can be linked to. We’ve already commenced a used oil collection system where in partnership with Caritas Switzerland (an NGO), used cooking oil via Uluwatu will be converted into Biodiesel. Basically, the physical side of in which is usually waste management, which is usually not very glorious. although, the various other side of in which is usually awareness, education, as well as community involvement. Pride in a clean Uluwatu is usually growing – as well as the locals will be the ones managing the project inside the long run.”

To build as well as install the proposed liquid waste management system ESRU needs to raise US$50,000. To operate in which will cost further. As more as well as more attention focused on the reality of Uluwatu’s pollution, support as well as money commenced to come in. Just over a week ago an ESRU charity auction supported by the Indonesian surf industry as well as Uluwatu Surf Villas made over US$12,000. Surf company Rip Curl has donated over US$5,000 to the ESRU cause through commissions off t-shirt sales. 11 time world champion surfer Kelly Slater auctioned his signed personal surfboard for AUS$8,000 donated to ROLE Foundation, a portion of which will go to ESRU projects.

Once up as well as running the ESRU project is usually an extremely useful liquid as well as solid waste treatment product in which can spread to various other common Indonesian beaches not just for tourists although for generations of Indonesians as well. Hopefully the idea of a clean environment as well as how to do in which will spread not just through Uluwatu although throughout Indonesia, too.

In closing, Lowe mentioned, “We’ve made big progress. No rubbish via Uluwatu goes into the sea these days, as well as inside the future, no dirty water will either.”

For more about the Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu or to donate visit their Facebook page or go their website: http://www.ecosurfrescue.moonfruit.com

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Surfers Come Together to Rescue Uluwatu

LorcaJul 31, 2012Conservation, Featured, various otherComments Off on Surfers Come Together to Rescue Uluwatu

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Surfers Come Together to Rescue Uluwatu