B

ali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has pledged to rid Bali of plastic garbage and chemical waste to realize the administration’s vision of transforming the resort island into a clean and green province.

In his speech marking the launching of The Jakarta Post’s Bali Edition on Monday, the governor said the first step toward the vision would be launching an integrated farming system (Simantri) program, through which funds are made available to farmers’ associations willing to adopt organic farming and
renewable energy systems.

“Currently there are more than 80 farmers’ associations that have agreed to adopt this program and this number keeps increasing. I believe that organic farming and renewable energy are the viable solution to save the island’s agriculture and, most importantly, the island’s culture.”

Pastika said that protecting Bali’s limited natural resources was one of the top priorities for his administration.

“Bali is a small island with a very fragile ecosystem and very limited natural resources. The future of this island will be very much determined by our ability to protect and nurture this ecosystem and natural resources.”

Pastika said his administration also aimed to develop a sustainable agricultural system to preserve the island’s natural state, which in turn was expected to create a safer destination for tourists.

To free the island from hazardous chemical waste, the administration is encouraging local farmers to “go green” by applying zero-waste organic farming systems that preserve the soil and increase economic benefits.

Each group adopting this farming method would be given supporting funds amounting to Rp 200 million.

The provincial administration has also targeted to rid Bali of plastic garbage by 2013, as part of efforts to make Bali a “green” province, as declared in the meeting of United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in February.

At present, the volume of plastic garbage in Bali is increasing, according to data from the Bali Environmental Agency. According to the agency, the total volume of waste in Bali reached around 5,000 cubic meters per day, 6 percent of which was plastic waste. Half of the garbage was from the island’s two most populous regencies: Badung and Denpasar.

The administration said efforts to rid Bali of plastic garbage would be carried out in all sectors, starting from businesses and households, particularly by intensifying campaigns on the dangers of plastic waste.

The administration is also working on an integrated program called Sarbagita, merging the waste management in Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan at Suwung disposal site in Denpasar. Garbage at this site is being used to run a 10-megawatt power plant.