Badung Satpol PP readies demolition of access road over Subak Munggu irrigation

Badung, Bali — Badung’s Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) is preparing to dismantle a concrete access road that authorities say has been built over an irrigation channel in Subak Munggu, Mengwi, in a bid to restore water flows and farming access in the protected rice field area.

Satpol PP Badung chief I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara said the agency is ready to carry out the demolition after receiving a recommendation from the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (PUPR), which found violations linked to the access road and associated development in the subak area.

According to local media reports, the contested structure is an access road leading to villas and other buildings, and is suspected of covering irrigation channels with concrete to allow vehicle access. Officials say the measures are aimed at returning the Jalan Usaha Tani (JUT), or agricultural access road, and irrigation function to their original condition so farmers can reach and irrigate their fields as before.

However, Satpol PP cannot proceed immediately with demolition. Suryanegara told reporters that enforcement must wait for a formal task order from the Badung regent, and for a reconciliation of land boundaries at the site because it includes Bali provincial government land and the JUT. A joint team from the Badung administration and the Bali provincial government is expected to visit the location to verify which sections of land and structures fall under violation.

Protected farmland and access under review

The Subak Munggu case has drawn attention because the access road and nearby buildings are located in areas designated as Lahan Sawah Dilindungi (protected rice fields, LSD) and Lahan Pertanian Pangan Berkelanjutan (sustainable food agricultural land, LP2B). Satpol PP Badung previously summoned seven owners of buildings in Subak Munggu after inspections found construction in these protected zones without proper permits, including Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung (building approval, PBG) and business identification numbers (NIB).

Officials said the owners were asked to halt all building activity and to sign statements acknowledging violations and pledging to stop the work. Further sanctions such as sealing or demolition of buildings remain at the discretion of the Badung regent, underscoring that Satpol PP’s role is to enforce decisions taken at the regency level.

In parallel with the planned removal of the access road over the irrigation channel, authorities have indicated that they will also reorganise agricultural infrastructure in Subak Munggu. Satpol PP Badung and other agencies intend to re-establish the layout of the JUT and reposition a small shrine known locally as a palinggih dugul, which has been affected by the access road and surrounding construction.

Satpol PP Badung notes that this is not the first time concrete structures have affected irrigation in Munggu. Earlier this year, officers oversaw the removal of a shorter concrete cover over an irrigation channel in a nearby subak after the landowner agreed to dismantle it, following complaints that the closure interfered with water distribution.

Regional officials have repeatedly stated that development and access roads for housing or villas are not permitted within designated sustainable agricultural land and protected rice field areas, and that enforcement actions – from administrative warnings to demolition – are part of broader efforts to safeguard Bali’s subak irrigation system and food-producing landscapes.

Sources

• Detik Bali
• Bali Post
• Dewata News
• Gobaligo
• The Bali Times