Bali Halts New Hotels on Farmland After Floods Kill at Least 18

Deadly floods bring a halt to new farmland permits

Bali is stopping new approvals for hotels, restaurants and other commercial facilities on rice fields and productive agricultural land after flash floods killed at least 18 people and inundated Denpasar and nearby regencies. Authorities declared a state of emergency on September 10, 2025, after the heaviest downpours in more than a decade overwhelmed rivers, clogged drains and flooded low lying neighborhoods.

Governor I Wayan Koster has instructed regents and mayors across the island to stop issuing permits for tourism facilities on productive land, especially rice fields. Provincial bylaws are being drafted and are expected to take effect by the end of 2025. The prohibition on converting productive land to commercial use is part of a plan covering the next 100 years.

Several people were reported missing in the early days of the disaster. Markets, shops and homes were damaged across Denpasar, Badung and Gianyar, while mud, debris and blackouts disrupted daily life. With the wet season beginning, authorities have warned that more intense storms are possible in the coming months.

Indonesia's environment minister, Hanif Faisal Nurofiq, is backing the provincial decision as a measure to protect lives and the tourism economy. The immediate challenge stretches beyond building permits: crews are clearing streets and rivers, damaged businesses need repairs, and communities face further rain.

Bali's response brings together several pressures that have grown alongside tourism: the loss of farmland, construction near waterways, inadequate drainage and waste disposal problems. The new restrictions seek to preserve land that produces food and helps manage rainwater, while allowing development to continue in places already designated for it.

Which construction projects face restrictions?

The governor's instruction applies to productive land, meaning rice fields and other parcels that support farming and food supply. District and city authorities have been told to reject fresh proposals that would turn such land into hotels, restaurants or similar commercial facilities.

Projects with valid permits can proceed. Construction also remains possible in areas already designated for tourism or residential use, provided developers have the correct permissions and comply with rules requiring buildings to stand back from rivers, coasts and steep slopes.

Koster described the instruction and its intended starting point after the floods:

Starting this year, there is an instruction to all regents and mayors across Bali. After handling the floods, we will meet again to ensure no more permits are issued for hotels, restaurants or other facilities on productive land, especially rice fields. From 2025 onward, no productive land can be converted into commercial facilities.

The permit restrictions are intended to give the province time to prepare a revised spatial plan, which determines where different activities and buildings are allowed. A strategic environmental review will support that plan by examining the environmental consequences of development choices.

Authorities say the policy will be applied consistently in priority districts including Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan, where construction pressure and flood risks are high. The planned bylaws would give the restrictions a place in the province's planning framework.

Residents describe water rising before dawn

Denpasar residents described floodwater rising faster and reaching higher than anything they had previously experienced. Their accounts convey the shock of the disaster and their concern that unchecked construction has weakened the island's ability to cope with heavy rain.

Putu Oka Darmiati, a Denpasar resident who has lived in the same neighborhood for decades, said the water rose before dawn while she was preparing for a family ceremony:

We moved here in 1975, we had flooding in 1989, but this was the worst.

Wayan Sundri, a resident aged 85, described unprecedented water levels at her home:

I have lived in this home my entire life, and it has never flooded that high. Ever.

The damage extended through homes, commercial streets and markets. Repairing roads, riverbanks and trading areas is part of the recovery effort, alongside removing the mud and waste left by the water.

How rice fields and forests slow floodwater

Bali's rice terraces are working parts of a water management system as well as a familiar landscape. Traditional subak irrigation networks move and store water through terraced paddies and canals, helping distribute rainfall across the land.

Rice fields, forests and surrounding green belts slow water and allow some of it to soak into the soil. Roofs, paved roads and parking lots send rain away much faster. When farmland becomes villas and roads, more water can reach rivers and drains at the same time, increasing the highest flows during a storm.

The environment ministry says the Ayung River Basin, covering Denpasar and parts of Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan, has only about 3 percent tree cover left. A river basin is the area of land whose water drains toward a shared river system. Changes across that area can affect communities farther downstream.

Forests also hold soil in place. Roots and the layer of fallen leaves help protect the ground, while stripped slopes are more exposed to rain that can wash soil into rivers. Sediment then builds up in channels and drains, reducing the space available for water.

Faster runoff and waterways clogged with sediment create a dangerous combination. A short burst of intense rain can move rapidly toward low lying neighborhoods while the channels meant to carry it away have less capacity.

Heavy rain meets a changing landscape

Indonesia's meteorology and climate agency has cautioned that the current rainy season could be intense. Its alerts point to a higher chance of clusters of extreme rain, including along southern Bali's popular tourist coasts, while the outcome of any particular storm remains uncertain.

Southeast Asia's wet season typically runs from September to March. In recent years, parts of Indonesia have experienced heavier downpours and more frequent flash floods, including during seasons when total rainfall remained within past ranges. The amount falling in a short time, and when it falls, can matter as much as the seasonal total.

Climate scientists have long warned that warmer air holds more water vapor. Storms forming in warmer conditions can therefore release more rain over a short period, putting greater pressure on drainage and river systems.

Bali's exposure also depends on decisions made on the ground. Tree cover, land use, drainage, waste collection and the distance between buildings and waterways help determine whether heavy rain produces limited street flooding or a disaster that threatens lives.

Tourism growth pushes into agricultural areas

Bali's officials expect around 6.5 million international arrivals in 2025. Tourism supports the island's economy through jobs and investment, but the strong recovery in visitor numbers has come alongside the spread of villas, hotels and cafes from beach hubs into inland villages once dominated by rice paddies.

Local planners and environmental groups estimate that between 3 and 6 percent of agricultural land in key tourism districts has been converted each year in recent times. Residents describe green belt protections being ignored and buildings extending into slopes and flood plains, sometimes without the required separation from rivers and coasts.

Made Krisna Dinata, executive director of the environmental group Walhi Bali, described the location of much tourism construction:

Much tourist accommodation is built by violating coastal zones, river zones, and often in disaster prone areas.

New roofs, walls and parking areas replace ground that previously slowed and absorbed rain. Communities have also complained about congested roads, polluted waterways and growing pressure on water supplies.

Those pressures connect the permit decision to daily life beyond the tourism industry. Keeping productive land in farming preserves food production, while protecting waterways and improving infrastructure can help residents, workers and visitors move around and obtain basic services more reliably.

Blocked drains and flood waste complicate recovery

Denpasar's drainage systems were under pressure before the disaster. City crews reported that many channels were already choked with trash and sludge early in the wet season. Once drains fill, water backs up into streets and homes instead of moving through the system.

The floods added mud and debris to markets, streets and river corridors. Officials say teams have collected more than 200 tonnes of flood waste, with clearance continuing at blocked points in Denpasar and along the Badung River.

Residents and traders have criticized chronic waste management problems, pointing to a landfill closure that encouraged illegal dumping into waterways. The Suwung landfill has been temporarily reopened to receive debris and help restore basic sanitation.

Waste removal is therefore both a recovery task and preparation for further storms. Regular collection and enforcement against dumping are needed to keep waterways open, while drains, culverts and river channels require clearing before the wettest months rather than only once flooding has begun.

What the restrictions mean for tourism businesses

Hospitality industry leaders say Bali already has ample accommodation for visitors. Hotel and restaurant associations in busy districts support a pause on new farmland permits, arguing that accommodation supply has exceeded demand in some areas and triggered price competition.

A pause could direct investment toward upgrading existing properties, improving infrastructure and selecting safer sites. For businesses recovering from damaged premises, blocked roads or interrupted services, the quality of surrounding infrastructure is a practical concern.

Developers point to the importance of zoning. Bali's green zones are reserved for agriculture and conservation, yellow zones are authorized for tourism uses, and red zones are primarily intended for housing and local businesses. Building remains possible within the applicable zoning and permit rules.

Investors therefore need to check the zoning map, secure the correct approvals and account for flood exposure. Projects that respect required distances from waterways, retain rainwater within their sites and strengthen local drainage are more likely to move forward.

Real estate analysts expect farmland values to stabilize where conversion is blocked, while suitable plots in approved tourism zones may become more expensive. Investment could shift from speculative construction on rice fields toward improvements in established development corridors.

Those improvements could include adapting existing buildings to reduce runoff, using paving that lets water pass through into the ground, and adding water storage. Each approach aims to reduce the amount of rain a property sends immediately into surrounding streets and drains.

From emergency instructions to provincial bylaws

The immediate measure is administrative: regents and mayors have been instructed to stop issuing new permits on productive land. Provincial authorities aim to complete bylaws by the end of 2025 and incorporate the policy into the spatial plan.

Environment Minister Hanif Faisal Nurofiq urged rapid implementation and connected the restrictions to the protection of Bali's tourism economy:

This is crucial for Bali's tourism as the recent flooding has drawn serious attention. I really hope the governor will immediately stop the land conversions in Bali. This is extremely important.

National and provincial agencies say the permit ban will be accompanied by action against illegal buildings in river corridors and protected coastal areas. Existing permissions, zoning boundaries and enforcement will shape how the policy affects individual sites.

The main dates and steps are:

• September 10, 2025: Authorities declared a state of emergency after severe downpours and flooding.
• By September 20, 2025: Koster had announced instructions to stop new permits for commercial facilities on productive land.
• From 2025 onward: The governor said productive land must no longer be converted to commercial facilities.
• By the end of 2025: Provincial bylaws are expected to be finalized and put into force.

The province has given an end of year target for the bylaws, but no exact date for their introduction.

Replanting and safer buildings form the wider response

Officials have identified restoring tree cover in key watersheds as a priority alongside tighter permitting. Hydrologists often aim for at least 30 percent vegetative cover in river basins to reduce peak flood flows. The environment ministry's estimate of about 3 percent forest cover in the Ayung basin shows the limited wooded area remaining there.

Targeted planting and protection of existing trees could slow runoff and reduce erosion. Maintaining drains, culverts and river channels would address the other side of the problem by helping water pass through developed areas.

Building controls can also reduce exposure. Keeping structures away from rivers and steep slopes provides separation from flash floods and landslides. Barring bedrooms on the ground floor in areas at high flood risk and raising electrical systems are measures that can help prevent deaths and shorten recovery.

Developments can also be required to hold more rain within their boundaries. Retention ponds temporarily store stormwater; green roofs and gardens that absorb water reduce the amount running straight into drains. Such measures are common in cities exposed to flooding and can be adapted to Bali's climate and traditions.

The success of the farmland restrictions will depend on how permits, planning, drainage, waste collection and reforestation work together. Protecting agricultural land preserves one part of that system, while maintenance and safer construction address risks in places already built up.

Residents and visitors face further wet weather

Travel has continued while Bali repairs damaged markets, roads and riverbanks. Authorities are treating tourist safety as a priority alongside the recovery of affected neighborhoods and businesses.

Visitors are advised to monitor official weather updates from Indonesia's meteorology and climate agency, carry rain gear during the wet season and follow local instructions when storms are forecast. Flood danger can rise quickly after hours of steady rain.

Low lying coastal areas and places beside rivers draining urbanized hillsides are particularly exposed. For residents and businesses there, keeping drainage clear and paying attention to weather warnings remain immediate concerns while the planning changes take shape.

Bali's culture and landscapes underpin its appeal to visitors. The policy seeks to protect those assets together with food production and public safety, while directing permitted construction toward land designated for development.

What to Know

• Flash floods killed at least 18 people and damaged homes, shops and markets in Denpasar, Badung and Gianyar.
• A state of emergency was declared on September 10 after the heaviest downpours in more than a decade.
• Bali is stopping new permits for hotels, restaurants and similar commercial facilities on rice fields and other productive land.
• Projects with valid permits can proceed, and construction remains possible in appropriately designated zones.
• Provincial bylaws are expected by the end of 2025 as part of a plan covering the next 100 years.
• The environment ministry says the Ayung River Basin has about 3 percent tree cover remaining.
• Cleanup teams have collected more than 200 tonnes of waste, and the Suwung landfill has temporarily reopened.
• Local planners and environmental groups estimate annual agricultural land conversion of 3 to 6 percent in key tourism districts.
• Officials expect around 6.5 million international visitors in 2025, while hospitality associations in busy districts support the permit pause.
• Further measures include enforcement near rivers and coasts, reforestation, drainage maintenance and better waste management as more intense rain remains possible.