Heavy tourism puts serious strain on water resources in Bali

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.

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.