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102.47 km of beach under threat of abrasion IBP/File Photo
Coastal abrasion occurred in Bali is increasingly alarming. Based on data of the Friends of the Earth Indonesia (Walhi) Bali sourced from the Bali Environment Agency (LBH), along 102.47 km of coastal areas in Bali is threatened by abrasion. Bali Post
DENPASAR - Coastal abrasion occurred in Bali is increasingly alarming. Based on data of the Friends of the Earth Indonesia (Walhi) Bali sourced from the Bali Environment Agency (LBH), along 102.47 km of coastal areas in Bali is threatened by abrasion. Such amount is divided into 104 points of the overall beach length coming to 438.8 km across Bali. More surprisingly, among the length of the beaches experiencing abrasion, only some 64 km can only be saved or restored. According to a geomorphologist, R. Suryanto, abrasion was defined as erosion of land due to reduction of hydrodynamic activity (sea waves). By and large, the resistant beach to abrasion was the one having hard structure such as rocky cliff as well as muddy shore. Meanwhile, the vulnerable beach to erosion was the area with land condition directly adjacent to the sea and having small amount and thin sand. “Almost all the beaches in Bali have thin
sand and are prone to abrasion,” he said. The lecturer at the Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University, said that one of the causes of erosion on a number of beaches in Bali, other than climate change and uncertain natural factors, was human act. Rampant sand dredging at a number of points would become one of the factors triggering the damage to beaches in Bali.
He added that another factor contributing to coastal abrasion was the progressive decrease in coastal protection. Suryanto pointed out the reduction of pandanus plants on Soka Beach. “Lots of pandanus plants have disappeared whether it was on purpose or because of being swept away by waves,” he said. According to him, if there was a cafe establishment with a clean beach view, the coastal plant should not necessarily be cleared. Coastal plants could serve as protection to the beach itself. Another factor expanding the abrasion was the persistent collection of mosaic stones getting more rampant in the eastern coast of Bali. According to him, persistent taking of mosaic stones in the coastal region was no less hazardous than dredging sand because stone was one of the coastal safeguarding elements. Without serious handling, the threat of abrasion would be faster and wider. “It’s even much more hazardous than the sand dredging,” he said. (ina)