Yohannes Tohap, Jakarta – Indonesia's environment minister has blamed poor waste management and uncontrolled villa construction for exacerbating the floods and landslides in Bali that killed at least 14 people earlier this week.

Heavy rainfall over a 24-hour period triggered flash floods across parts of the island, but Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said clogged waterways filled with waste significantly worsened the disaster.

"We need a collective movement, including from local communities, to keep the environment clean so blockages like this don't happen again," Hanif said in Jakarta on Thursday.

Beyond waste, the minister pointed to the rapid and poorly regulated development of hotels, villas, cottages, and housing on hillsides and former rice fields. The conversion of green space into buildings, he said, has weakened the island's natural resilience and reduced its ability to absorb heavy rainfall.

"Land conversion reduces the environment's carrying capacity and increases disaster risks," Hanif explained.

The floods and landslides that struck on Tuesday and Wednesday destroyed homes, shops, and infrastructure across several districts in Bali.

Hanif said he had warned Bali Governor I Wayan Koster against granting permits for new villas without careful consideration of the environmental impact.

"Every time the landscape is disturbed, nature responds in many ways – one of them through disasters. We are now conducting a comprehensive review of Bali's landscape," the minister said.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/government-blames-waste-and-land-conversion-for-deadly-bali-flood