Bali in crisis, governor warns

Sunday, 17 Aug, 2010 0

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. 





 

profileimage

Ian Jarrett



Most Read

Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know

Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham

Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago

Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research

Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact

Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference

Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role

Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal

Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination

Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness

Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future

Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
TRAINING & COMPETITION
Skip to toolbar
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...