Bali Stinks! For those of you who have been to Bali know that the waves are firing and the scenery at the beaches is picturesque, but at times there can be a bit of sensory overload…especially on your sense of smell!
Here’s why:
- Few restaurants (warungs) have their own septic tanks
- Visitors must walk through waste water running down the stairs and are shocked by the smells
- Limited toilet facilities, often out of order or with no water supply
- It is not just sewerage we are dealing with but also oil and organic waste from food production
- No policy or environmental practices are enforced
- No government funding provided
The good folks at Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu are working to help protect the most famous wave in Bali and the surrounding ecosystem from contamination.
Vision: Turn the world famous Uluwatu Surf Break with its associated marine and land environments into a pristine and healthy World Surfing Reserve for the benefit of the Coastal Community for present and future generations.
Mission: Plan, design, build and manage a solid and liquid waste infrastructure, facilities and associated waste management system to preserve and bring back to health the local ecosystems.
-Become a sustainable, non-profit project assisted by surf industry for the benefit of surfers
- Be run by the local community for the benefit of the community and visitors to Uluwatu.
- Create a successful case study that can be replicated in other ‘environmentally troubled’ surf areas.. in Indonesia, and globally.
Current Project: In June 2011 Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu started the first phase of the project by installing the Solid Waste Management System. ESRU and ecoBali tackled the mountain and hauled out 30 tons of rubbish that had accumulated in the ravine! It had started piling up there after surfers complained about the warungs throwing it into the ocean.
Next, every warung was given a rubbish can. The large warungs received one for organic and one for non-organic. Then a large and permanent concrete set of bins, complete with metal lids, was built above the east stairs. Ladies from the GUS foundation carry up all the rubbish every day to these bins where the recycling company ecoBali kindly comes and collects it 3 times weekly. Now, all rubbish from Uluwatu is properly disposed of in a responsible and consistent way.
During this time, topographical maps of the cliffside and 3D drawings of the warungs were drawn to assist the professional design and drawings of the liquid waste system. The new liquid waste system will finally solve the problems of leaking sewage and noxious smells at our beautiful Uluwatu.
$40,000 US dollars to install the system and maintain it. The warungs and residents are working alongside ESRU to make this viable and sustainable. Your contributions and support are needed to bring this necessary solution to life.
Click HERE to donate or to learn more and you can follow them on Facebook HERE.
