JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Syaiful Huda, asked the government to immediately take a breakthrough in dealing with the recurring flood problem in Bali. Especially regarding the repair of infrastructure on the Island of the Gods.
This was conveyed by Huda in response to extreme weather that triggered severe flooding in the Sanur, Denpasar area, forcing the evacuation of residents and foreign tourists using rubber boats on Bumiayu Street, since Sunday, February 22, evening.
Huda assessed that the floods that are now increasingly hitting vital tourism points are a serious threat to Bali's existence as an international tourist destination. If left unchecked, he said, Bali's image as the face of Indonesian tourism will be degraded in the eyes of the world.
"Bali floods in recent times have continued to recur and the pattern is getting worse. This condition threatens Bali's existence as an international tourist destination. The government can no longer work in the usual ways, there must be a breakthrough so that floods do not become a routine agenda every rainy season," said Syaiful Huda to reporters, Wednesday, February 25.
Huda also highlighted the synchronization of the flood issue with the waste problem, which had previously been touched on by President Prabowo Subianto. He assessed that the complaints of world leaders regarding waste and flooding in Bali were a clear indicator of mistakes in the management of spatial and territorial planning on the Island of the Gods.
"President Prabowo himself previously admitted that he had received complaints from world leaders regarding the garbage-filled situation in Bali. Flooding and garbage in Bali are indicators of mismanagement of spatial planning. The government must conduct a total evaluation of various permits for the development of restaurants and hotels that surround the Bali region," he said.
The PKB politician added that violations of green areas that should be agricultural areas, water absorption, to conservation have had an impact on the deterioration of water management. Huda assessed that the massive diversion of land functions was the main cause of the flooding that now submerged the previously relatively safe areas.
Therefore, Huda emphasized a number of priority steps that must be immediately taken by the government to ensure that Bali remains a comfortable destination for foreign tourists. According to him, the central and regional governments must audit hotel and restaurant licenses, especially those that stand on water absorption areas or violate river boundary rules.
"The government must also immediately carry out comprehensive improvements to urban drainage infrastructure and dredging of river sedimentation at flood-prone points such as Sanur, Seminyak, and Kuta," he added.
The head of the infrastructure commission added that efforts to restore the functions of green areas and agricultural land must also be carried out immediately. The return of this water absorption area, said Huda, will prevent rainwater runoff directly to settlements.
"We have to act quickly. If the spatial arrangement is not improved now, Bali will only remain a memory as a leading tourist destination. Traveler comfort is the key, and it can only be achieved with qualified infrastructure and environmentally conscious spatial arrangement," he concluded.
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