Facebook Twitter Youtube

Denpasar Water Crisis: Tourism Drains Bali’s Water Supply

Denpasar’s progress as Bali’s capital masks a growing pressure on its water resources. As more people move in and tourism picks up again, the city is finding it harder to provide enough clean, reliable water for everyone who calls it home, including the growing expat community.

Denpasar Water Crisis: Only Half the City Is Connected to PDAM

PDAM (Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum) supplies clean piped water to residents as the local government-owned water company. By the end of 2024, only 51% of Denpasar residents had access to clean piped water from PDAM Tirta Sewaka Dharma, covering 91,346 connections out of approximately 670,210 people. Coverage is lowest in Denpasar Selatan (46.3%) and highest in Denpasar Timur (52.8%).

Denpasar Water Crisis: Infrastructure Strains During Dry Season

City officials are stepping up preparations for the upcoming dry season. Some of the key efforts include dredging major rivers like the Ayung and Blusung, building new water reservoirs in Sanur, and sending out water tanker trucks to help meet daily needs. But supply is still falling short. Support from neighboring pipelines currently delivers only 55 to 60 L/s, far below the 150 L/s that Denpasar needs.

Denpasar isn’t alone. Unless infrastructure expands, Bali’s water deficit could rise to 7,991 L/s by 2025, up from 5,952 L/s in 2021. Around 56% of Bali’s water is currently used by the tourism sector, amplifying the strain.

What This Means for Expats

  • Expect intermittent supply or low pressure, especially during dry months.
  • Many households rely on tanks or bottled water, and PDAM tanker trucks are often used as backup
  • Bottled water use in Bali runs around 11–15 L per person annually. Needed for drinking and even brushing teeth

How Expats Can Prepare and Help

  1. Check water access before moving in. Ask landlords if the unit is connected to PDAM or requires tankers.
    Install water-saving devices. Consider low-flow taps and shower heads.
  2. Store backup water. Having at least a day’s supply of clean water is wise.
  3. Support community efforts, like river clean-ups, reservoir build-outs, or rainwater harvesting projects .

Denpasar’s water access is patchy, infrastructure is under strain, and the dry season brings added challenges. Expats should proactively plan from housing choices to sustainable usage habits. Staying informed and engaged isn’t just smart, it can help the city keep its taps flowing for everyone.

Sources: balipost.com, denpost.id, detikbali.com. 

Featured Image by sonmez (Getty Images)

LATEST

BaliExpat is being driven by Seven Stones Indonesia, a customer-centric company who believe in being authentic to deliver value to, and for, all stakeholders, to boost business growth and prosperity.

Instagram Facebook Twitter

Write for Us

Write Now

Navigation

Copyright © 2022 baliexpat.com | All Rights Reserved.

Andrzej Barski

Director of Seven Stones Indonesia

Andrzej is Co-owner/ Founder and Director of Seven Stones Indonesia. He was born in the UK to Polish parents and has been living in Indonesia for more than 33-years. He is a skilled writer, trainer and marketer with a deep understanding of Indonesia and its many cultures after spending many years travelling across the archipelago from North Sumatra to Irian Jaya.

His experience covers Marketing, Branding, Advertising, Publishing, Real Estate and Training for 5-Star Hotels and Resorts in Bali and Jakarta, which has given him a passion for the customer experience. He’s a published author and a regular contributor to local and regional publications. His interests include conservation, eco-conscious initiatives, spirituality and motorcycles. Andrzej speaks English and Indonesian.

Terje H. Nilsen

Director of Seven Stones Indonesia

Terje is from Norway and has been living in Indonesia for over 20-years. He first came to Indonesia as a child and after earning his degree in Business Administration from the University of Agder in Norway, he moved to Indonesia in 1993, where he has worked in leading positions in education and the fitness/ wellness industries all over Indonesia including Jakarta, Banjarmasin, Medan and Bali.

He was Co-owner and CEO of the Paradise Property Group for 10-years and led the company to great success. He is now Co-owner/ Founder and Director of Seven Stones Indonesia offering market entry services for foreign investors, legal advice, sourcing of investments and in particular real estate investments. He has a soft spot for eco-friendly and socially sustainable projects and investments, while his personal business strengths are in property law, tourism trends, macroeconomics, Indonesian government and regulations. His personal interests are in sport, adventure, history and spiritual experiences.

Terje’s leadership, drive and knowledge are recognised across many industries and his unrivalled network of high level contacts in government and business spans the globe. He believes you do good and do well but always in that order. Terje speaks English, Indonesian and Norwegian.

Contact Our Consultants

[wpforms id=”43785″]

Ridwan Jasin Zachrie

CFO of Seven Stones Indonesia, Jakarta

Ridwan is one of Indonesia’s top executives with a long and illustrious career in the financial world. He holds several professional certifications including being a Certified Business Valuer (CBV) issued by the Australian Academy of Finance and Management; Broker-Dealer Representative (WPPE); and The Directorship Certification for Directors and Commissioners, issued by the Indonesian Institute of Commissioners and Directors.

His experience includes being the Managing Director at one of the top investment banking groups in the region, the Recapital Group, the CFO at State-owned enterprises in fishery industry and the CEO at Tanri Abeng & Son Holding. He’s also been an Independent Commissioner in several Financial Service companies and on the Audit and Risk Committee at Bank BTPN Tbk, Berau Coal Energy Tbk, Aetra Air Jakarta as well as working for Citibank, Bank Mandiri and HSBC. His last position was as CFO at PT Citra Putra Mandiri – OSO Group.

Ridwan has won a number of prestigious awards including the Best CFO Awards 2019 (Institute of Certified Management Accountant Australia-Indonesia); Asia Pacific Young Business Leader awarded by Asia 21 Network New York USA (Tokyo 2008); UK Alumni Business Awards 2008 awarded by the British Council; and The Most Inspiring Human Resources Practitioners’ version of Human Capital Magazine 2010.

He’s a member of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Law, Trisakti University, Co-Founder of the Paramadina Public Policy Institute and actively writes books, publications and articles in the mass media. He co-authored “Korupsi Mengorupsi Indonesia” in 2009, which helps those with an interest in understanding governance in Indonesia and the critical issue of corruption. Ridwan speaks Indonesian and English.

Per Fredrik Ecker

Managing Director of Seven Stones Indonesia, Jakarta

Per is the Managing Director of the Seven Stones Indonesia (SSI) Jakarta office and has more than 25-years’ experience in Indonesia, China, and Western Europe. He previously worked in senior management positions with Q-Free ASA, Siemens AG, and other companies in the telecom sector. Over the last six years, he has been the Chairman of the Indonesia-Norway Business Council (INBC) and recently become elected to be on the board of EuroCham Indonesia.

His most recent experience is within Intelligent Transport Solutions (ITS), Telecom, and other sectors within the Indonesian market. He is today through his position in SSI and by representing Norway Connect, promoting Nordic and European companies that would like to explore business opportunities in the Indonesian market. He’s also playing an active role to help create the Nordic House concept in Jakarta that will provide an excellent platform for Nordic companies entering Indonesia, where they’ll find a community that can offer support with trusted information and affordable services to enter this market.