Bali in crisis, governor warns
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has warned the island is facing an overpopulation crisis. 


Based on the recent national census, Bali is currently home to 3.9 million people.
But Pastika, quoted by the Jakarta Globe said that given the province’s existing resources and infrastructure, the island should only be inhabited by 1.5 million people. 

The local population is being swelled by record numbers of visitors, which is putting extra strain on the environment.
This overpopulation has led to a strain on resources, the governor said, leaving many parts of Bali facing increasingly worse traffic jams, rising poverty levels and increased crime rates. 


Official data shows that there are 134,000 poor families living in Bali, but Pastika said the provincial government could only afford to provide direct aid to a maximum of 10,000 families. 


Recently, the province has also struggled with a spate of robberies targeting foreigners.
“Bali is just like sugar,†Pastika said, likening people to ants. “As long as the sugar still exists, people will come and stay here.†


The growing population is attributed to a combination of high migration and rising birth rates. 


Ian Jarrett
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