Despite Government Warnings to Avoid Tapping Bali’s Diminishing Underground Water Reservoirs, PDAM Bali is the Largest Exploiter of Bali’s Subterrain Water Sources.

Despite repeated warnings from the government to conserve Subterrain water reservoirs in Bal, the Bali Post reports that the State Water Board (PDAM) has little hesitation to tap into Bali’s diminishing underground water reserves. According to the report, in every municipality and regency of Bali, PDAM derives more water from Subterrain reservoirs than it does from surface sources. This approach offers several advantages, including less competition with farmers for water from rivers and streams and the reduced cost of tapping into Subterrain sources that requires less treatment than the more polluted water in Bali’s rivers and streams.

The Director of PDAM-Bali, Ir. Putu Gede Mahaputra, admitted to the press that the diminishing supplies of above ground water and the heavily polluted nature of those water sources made tapping into the water table a necessity.

PDAM-Denpasar currently serves 66.189 customers who consumer a total of 2.4 million cubic meters of water each month. 6.067 consumers are on PDAM’s waiting-list for a hook-up to the water mains.

Mahaputra said that in August 2009 PDAM consumed 1.021 million cubic meters of well water, equivalent to 398.62 liters per second. The water board has 18 working wells. Meanwhile, above ground water constituted 1.99 million cubic meters of water drawn from the Ayung river and the Waribang pumping station. PDAM-Denpasar also purchases water from third parties, such as PDAM-Gianyar, PDAM Badung and a private company PT Tirta Buanamulia. The total amount of water purchased from third parties equals 3.1 million cubic meters each month, equal to 1,219 liters per second.

A Similar Situation in Jembrana

Substantial tapping into underground water sources is also done by PDAM-Jembrana who make a case for necessity to avoid competing with farmers over above-ground water sources. In the past year, PDAM-Jembrana has added two additional pumping stations to meet water demand.

In Bali’s most populace region of Badung, Subterrain water reservoirs are also put under strain by more than 420 registered companies using well water taken from private wells. Many of these companies are hotels, villas, restaurants, apartments and other businesses located along Kuta beach. Meanwhile, in the Abiansemal, Mengwi and Petang areas of Bali the biggest users of Subterrain water are PDAM-Badung and beverage producers.