DENPASAR, Bali – Governor I Wayan Koster announced a Bali farmland conversion ban starting in 2025, following deadly floods that killed 17 people last week. Denpasar was the hardest-hit area, with 11 fatalities reported.

“Starting in 2025, there will no longer be permits to convert productive land into commercial use. After flood recovery efforts, we will reconvene to ensure no new hotels, restaurants, or tourism projects are built on farmland, especially rice fields,” Koster said in Denpasar on Saturday.

Bali, home to more than four million residents and millions of annual tourists, has long struggled between rapid tourism-driven development and environmental sustainability. Its booming hospitality sector—dominated by hotels, villas, and restaurants—has fueled growth but also eroded farmland, forests, and water resources, increasing the island’s vulnerability to floods, drought, and pollution.

At the same event, Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq stressed the urgency of protecting Bali’s fragile environment. He revealed that since 2015, around 400 hectares of forest had been cleared for housing and commercial projects, leaving only about 1,500 hectares. “This is serious. Extreme rainfall has major consequences for Bali,” Hanif said.

The ministry will work with provincial and district governments to draft a new spatial plan backed by a strategic environmental review.

Mass Cleanup
On Sunday, more than 1,100 people—including residents, soldiers, police officers, Governor Koster, and Minister Hanif—joined cleanup efforts along the Badung River and Denpasar’s Badung and Kumbasari markets, which were buried in debris.

Hanif ordered all flood waste to be transported to Suwung landfill within a month. “Based on the governor’s report, 84 tons of waste have already been collected, and the total may reach 210 tons,” he said. The ministry also distributed 350 relief packages to affected traders and residents.