Denpasar launches river waste programme to protect mangroves

Denpasar — Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, joined a mangrove clean-up and launched the Sungai Lestari Programme at the Batu Lumbang Mangrove Ecotourism site on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026.

The programme links mangrove restoration with efforts to stop plastic and other waste from flowing through rivers into coastal waters. In Bali, its pilot work covers Tukad Badung in Denpasar and Tukad Mati in Badung, with the aim of reducing waste leakage before it reaches mangroves and the sea.

Why it matters to Bali’s residents and visitors

For people living in or visiting Bali, the initiative focuses on pollution that travels beyond the place where it is discarded. Waste entering a river can accumulate at an estuary, damage mangrove habitat and affect coastal ecosystems. The programme therefore shifts attention from cleaning waste after it reaches the coast to managing it closer to its source.

Hasan inspected the mangrove area and spent about 10 minutes clearing rubbish during the event. He urged communities to treat rivers as the front of their homes rather than as dumping grounds, arguing that repeated littering harms rivers and mangrove trees.

The programme is being coordinated by the Coordinating Ministry for Food, the Indonesian government ministry responsible for food-policy coordination, with support from the United Nations Development Programme and the Indonesian Association of Oceanologists. CNN Indonesia reported that the initiative is being carried out in five Indonesian locations and involves government, communities, academics, businesses and development partners.

The Bali pilot adds Denpasar and Badung to the effort to prevent river waste from reaching coastal and marine areas.

Sources

• detikBali — regional news report
• CNN Indonesia — national news report
• video.tribunnews.com
• jawawa.id
• disway.id