Gianyar Enacts River Setback Bylaw to Control Development Along Banks

Gianyar — — Gianyar’s legislature has advanced an initiative to regulate river setback areas through a new regional bylaw on riverbank management, aiming to protect waterways from growing development pressures and now having formally enacted the measure in mid‑September 2026, according to the Gianyar council’s legal information site and local media reports.

The regulation began as an initiative draft by the Gianyar Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on river setback management (penataan sempadan sungai), presented in a plenary session by council member I Nyoman Alit Sutarya in late July 2026. According to coverage of the plenary, Sutarya said the measure is designed to provide legal certainty for planning, protecting, using and controlling riverbank areas as development advances along Gianyar’s rivers.

Local media report that the draft moved through deliberations in July and August 2026, with the council’s legislation body refining key provisions to address watershed protection and flood risks before the regulation was adopted. By 10 September 2026, the initiative had passed a decision‑making plenary session, with the council and regency administration agreeing to enact it as a regional regulation, alongside a separate revision to Gianyar’s 2026 budget.

Scope and objectives

The new regulation establishes a legal framework for managing river setback zones in Gianyar, including rules on how riverbank areas may be planned, used and controlled. According to explanations from DPRD members reported by local outlets, the measure aims to ensure riverbanks are managed in a way that is integrated and sustainable, safeguarding river functions while providing clearer rules for development along the banks.

The framework requires planning for river setback areas to follow Gianyar’s spatial plan (RTRW) and to be coordinated with the River Basin Agency (Balai Wilayah Sungai). It also reinforces the role of the regency government in overseeing riverbank management through stages of planning, utilization and control, in coordination with relevant agencies.

Activity classifications and existing buildings

According to reports on the legislative deliberations, the regulation classifies activities in river setback areas into three categories: those that are allowed, those allowed subject to conditions, and those that are prohibited. This classification is meant to guide decisions on land use and development close to rivers, including residential, commercial and tourism‑related projects.

The regulation also addresses buildings already standing within river setback zones. Local coverage states that handling of these existing structures will follow higher‑level laws and regulations, with the regional bylaw providing a basis for selective use, control and potential enforcement measures in line with national rules.

During discussions, council members highlighted that riverbank areas face pressure from land conversion, uncontrolled construction, pollution and degradation of river hydrology, and that river zones in Gianyar carry ecological, social, economic, spiritual and cultural significance. The regulation is presented as a response to these pressures, intended to protect river functions and reduce disaster risks such as flooding.

Enforcement, funding and community role

The regulation strengthens control over riverbank activities through the licensing system and administrative sanctions, backed by potential incentives and disincentives for compliance, according to local media summaries of the draft. Oversight is to be supported by counselling, education, training, information systems and periodic monitoring by the regency government.

Reports on the legislative process state that the river setback management program will draw long‑term funding from Gianyar’s regional budget and other lawful sources. The regulation also encourages participation by residents and customary villages, including the use of customary rules such as awig‑awig and pararem to support protection of river areas.

With the regulation now enacted, officials say the regency has a clearer legal basis to control activities along riverbanks and to carry out enforcement where needed, particularly as tourism and real‑estate development continue to expand near Gianyar’s rivers.

Sources

• RRI Denpasar regional report on DPRD Gianyar and Gianyar Regency government agreeing to enact two Raperda, including the initiative on river setback management
• Detik Bali report on the enactment of Gianyar’s river setback bylaw and implications for riverbank enforcement
• Balipost article on DPRD Gianyar’s initiative draft river setback regulation and its main provisions