5 MIN READ
12-12-2024
Restoring Bali's Shores: 4Ocean Leads Post-Flood Cleanup
Kubik, 4ocean Bali Content Correspondent
December 4, 2024. The recent floods left Sumbul Beach (Medewi) and Balian Beach (Tabanan) in disarray. For the 4ocean Jembrana team – led by Amal and joined by Edi Munawar, Alfi Hidayat, Ali Rahman, Jayus, Umar Habibi, Usman, and Amplas – the mission was urgent. The crew faced a dual challenge: assisting Medewi fishermen with abandoned nets and tackling the debris-laden shores.
The day started with a report from the Medewi fishing community. Unusable fishing nets were piling up in the boat parking area, a tangled mess obstructing daily work. Without hesitation, the crew devised a plan. Small sacks weren’t enough; they needed large sacks to handle the massive volume. With determination, they spent an hour collecting and clearing seven sacks’ worth of nets, making space for the fishermen to work once again.
Their work wasn’t over. At Balian Beach, the floodwaters had deposited a chaotic mixture of wood debris and plastic waste. The crew was met with an alarming sight: scattered bottle caps, plastic fragments, even unusual finds like a refrigerator door and a television tube. This beach, known for its surf spots and as a habitat for tiger sharks, needed urgent attention. The thought of tiger sharks accidentally ingesting bottle caps was horrifying.
With painstaking effort, the crew picked up each bottle cap – hundreds of them – ensuring they didn’t wash back into the sea. The task took over two hours, testing their patience and endurance. But when the last cap was collected, the beach looked revitalized. The colorful clutter of plastic was gone, replaced by smooth, clean sand.
Cleaning the nets at Medewi revealed another challenge: some nets were partially buried under sand, stubbornly entangled from weeks of high tides. The crew had to cut parts of the nets to free them, their hands working methodically to complete the task.
Yet, there were uplifting moments too. Some fishermen showed genuine concern for the environment, happily assisting the crew. And at Balian Beach, an unexpected visitor brought joy. Stray dogs from the river played on the freshly cleaned shore. One dog even dragged a branch away, as if it understood the importance of keeping the beach clean. The crew watched, amazed and heartened by this simple, symbolic act.
In total, the team collected 507.59 pounds of waste, including seven large sacks of fishing nets, plastic bottles, fabric, and even broken surfboards. Each item was a reminder of the pollution plaguing our oceans.
Reflecting on the experience, the crew noted, "The sea gives us so much, yet it suffers because of our negligence. We must take responsibility before it’s too late."
The day’s work was backbreaking, but necessary. The crew knew this was just one battle in an ongoing war against ocean pollution. Every cleaned beach, every collected piece of plastic, every rescued net was a step towards protecting Bali's beauty and its delicate marine ecosystems.
Types of Waste Collected
- Refrigerator door
- Television tube
- Plastic fragments
- Bottle caps
- Ghost nets
- Car tires
- Surfboard Pieces
Total Waste Collected: 507.59 lbs
Ghost Net Bracelet
Shop Now - Clean The Ocean
Ghost Net Bracelet
Pull 5 Pounds of Trash From The Ocean With Our Ghost Net Bracelets.
Shop Now - Clean the Ocean
