A clip of a woman caught in waves of trash while surfing on Batu Bolong beach went viral earlier this week, reminding people that the trash problem in Bali is still far from solved.
The woman, whose identity is not yet known, reportedly took a surfing lesson on Tuesday but later struggled after trash-filled waves hit her. As she attempted to reach the coastline, she was caught again in waves of trash.
I Made Gede Dwipayana, the coordinator of sea trash management at the Badung Environmental Affairs and Sanitation Agency, confirmed the incident yesterday.
Explaining that the trash washed in from rivers, he said that the debris needs to be cleaned manually because it is difficult to bring heavy tools to Batu Bolong. He added that Batu Bolong beach comprises soft sand, while the debris mostly consist of wood and plastic.
While trash around some of the beaches in Bali are not exactly new, the clip shows that, now that the island’s tourism industry is waking up after a two-year pandemic lull, the problem still exists and it needs to be addressed.
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