Image: Jungutwatu Beach on Nusa Lembongan. Credit: Kura-Kura Guide.
Residents on Nusa Lembongan, have made official complaints to authorities that hotels and restaurants on the island appear to be disposing of waste directly into the sea. The complaints were reported to the Pollution Monitoring Team of the Klungkung Local Government, who have been investigating the situation since.
The head of the Klungkung Environmental Unit, I Wayan Agus Eka Putra, confirmed that they had already received several reports from local residents that the waste was allegedly being dumped directly into the sea through a hidden pipeline. “This is the third time we have gone to the location mentioned and we are still investigating the complaints,” he said on Monday.
He also said that his team has had some difficulty finding any proof. There is a possibility they do it at night or around dawn. Besides, the location being an island, it is hard to perform routine monitoring there. “The residents reported that this was happening in Lembongan village and Jungutwatu beach areas,” Putra said to nusabali.com.
He said that before building any accommodation, a hotel or a restaurant, an investor must have an Environment Management Effort (UPL) report. But, according to the Klungkung environmental chief because the cost is high and they want everything to be finished fast, the investor did not build the wastewater treatment plant and disposed their waste straight to the sea.
“It is dangerous to dispose of the waste into the sea,” he said. He also said that if there is any proof, the culprits will receive a warning first. If they continue, his team will coordinate with the Klungkung Provincial Government to take action.
One of the Klungkung parliament members, I Made Jana, said this issue was already being discussed in a meeting with the related institutions a week ago. He said that he was going to go to the island himself to check this week.
Meanwhile, the Head of Klungkung Environment Department, Anak Agung Kirana, said that his department had already been monitoring the issue, but there was a lack of personnel.
“When we were monitoring the situation, we did not find any violation. If we found anything, we would punish them,” he said to balipost.com. And continued, “It is also the local village that has a responsibility to sort this out as polluting the nearby beaches and ocean will also affect local tourism and their businesses in the future.”
