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Heavy tourism puts serious strain on water resources in Bali


Skift Take

The need for conscious tourism is no more evident than in Bali where the tourism industry's excess has contributed to one million locals being without clean water.

According to Dr. Cole, water is one of the most important resources when it comes to tourism in Bali since tourism makes use of 65% of the island's water. However water availability has reached a critical point in most tourist destinations in Bali and this can be attributed to political, environmental and social factors.

Hotel Intercontinental Bali

Luxury hotels use massive amounts of water for spas, pools, and Jacuzzis. Photo by Simon_Sees.

The situation is so serious that there are cases where water has to be diverted from agriculture to tourism and this affects the balance between locals and tourists. The stakeholders in the tourism industry are unaware of how important it is to conserve water, said Dr. Cole.

Tags: bali local