Denpasar to involve traditional villages in river-waste monitoring

Denpasar — Denpasar’s city government plans to involve traditional villages in monitoring rubbish disposal into rivers on November 2, 2026, as heavy rain brought waste into the Tukad Badung waterway.

Why it matters: Traditional villages may help monitor dumping into Denpasar’s rivers and drainage channels while heavy rain increases the risk that accumulated waste will obstruct water flow.

The plan was announced by Denpasar Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency head I Gede Cipta Sudewa, according to Bali Post. He said the agency would soon bring together traditional-village leaders, neighbourhood coordinators and hamlet heads to help reduce river waste.

Denpasar’s river waste was reported at 30.6 tonnes per day. The city said broader community participation was needed because flood prevention could not rely only on technical work by government agencies.

DetikBali reported that heavy rain early on November 2 left Tukad Badung at Jalan Taman Pancing in Pemogan, Denpasar, filled with rubbish, including discarded drinking-water packaging. Bali’s disaster-management agency warned that rubbish, branches and other material can obstruct water flow and increase the risk of flooding and standing water during intense rain.

The planned involvement of traditional villages is intended to strengthen social oversight of people dumping rubbish into rivers and drainage channels. The city’s public works agency said it would work with village leaders to improve public awareness and reduce waste entering waterways.

Separately, the United Nations Development Programme said its Sungai Lestari river-pollution programme includes Tukad Badung in Denpasar and Tukad Mati in Badung as pilot sites in Bali. The programme focuses on waste prevention, separation, collection and recycling before rubbish reaches final disposal.

Sources

• Bali Post
• Detik Bali
• United Nations Development Programme