"Heartbreaking" issue set to engulf Bali
A viral video has shown the devastating side of tourism in Bali, with mountains of garbage taking over the popular holiday destination.
Gary Bencheghib, a French filmmaker living in Indonesia, captured a heartbreaking video of a massive “open rubbish dump” 50 metres high covered in trash.
He said it is one of many open dumps around Bali, which are overflowing with waste.
“I’ve just made it here, right at the foot of this giant open landfill. It’s so high we can’t even see the top and it falls right into the river,” he said.
Gary’s post has attracted hundreds of comments from shocked users who described the state of the site as “depressing”.
“My️ [heart] brakes by seeing this … such a beautiful country! They need education and see this. How can I help???” one person asked
“Totally heartbreaking,” said another.
A third person wrote, “As we love Bali so much, things like this need to be addressed also by the local community and local government hand-in-hand.”
In an attempt to combat the ever-growing rubbish problem, that Indonesian officials have said will cost $40 million to fully resolve, a new tourism tax has been implemented.
In July, Bali Governor Wayan Koster confirmed as of next year tourists will need to pay 150,000 Indonesian rupiah (about $15) to enter the popular island.
He said the funds would be used for “the environment, culture and [to] build better quality infrastructure”.
Indonesia’s co-ordinating minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, suggested to have the money spent on addressing Bali’s waste problem.
"I think it [tourism tax] is good for Bali; why not use it to look after its waste,” he told reporters last week after signing a new conservation agreement at the Bali Turtle Special Economic Zone.
“Garbage must be cleaned; now there is a smell. I spoke to the mayor of Denpasar to fix it but don’t use it as a political issue, it’s not good just fix it and reduce the smell.”
He explained that if it continues without “significant and rapid improvement” the problem will become “uncontrollable”, The Bali Sun reported.
Image credits: Instagram