Cultural Landscapes and Water Conservation in Bali

The life perspective of some Balinese like my neighbor's grandmother, like my friend's friend's grandfather in North Bali and their peers are very interesting. Their perspective on life and their way of life has been inherited from generation to generation in Bali, which they call "Agama Bali".

Agama Bali has grown and has developed on this island that are fertile, green and lush by various species of fruit trees and flowers. It is suitable and appropriate for farmers and village people who are still touching the ground, farming, walking along the river and listening to the morning breeze. Here, the presence of Bhatara-Bhatari (holy spirits) is very real: in the cool and gentle breeze, in the movement of leaves, tree branches, the sparkle of dew at the tips of leaves and flower petals, mossy cliffs overgrown with various ferns and river rocks also beautiful in randomness.

The life way of Balinese people in the past manifested itself in several cultural landscapes, ranging from big old trees which were sacred in the area of ​​Pura Kahyangan, agriculture system which became known as the subak system, maintaining natural drinking water sources, called beji, which almost exists in every traditional village, then, the shallow excavation well with depth only 2 meters to 5 meters, made and existed in almost every compound of a large family, this type of well is called bulakan. In fact, efforts to reuse the used water have also been carried out by Balinese people in the past. The pond of lotus flowers or water lily flowers, which are included as sacred plants, and other plants that actually function as cleansers or purifiers of used water from the kitchen, washing and shower area. 

So at least, there are five types of Balinese cultural landscapes that are closely related to the water management system in Bali, namely sacred big trees near pura kahyangan, subak, beji, bulakan and kolam BALI (pond of waste water flower garden).

1. Sacred Big Trees

At least, in the temples of Kahyangan, namely Pura Dalem, Pura Desa and Pura Puseh in almost every traditional village in Bali, there must be one or more sacred big tree(s) that are sacred. In addition to these three temples, sacred trees are also found in the area of ​​Pura Bale Agung (in certain big traditional village), and in the area of ​​Pura Mrajapati, which is a place for dead body burning ceremony or burial ceremony. I received information that the existence of trees is not a consideration for choosing a temple location. But the trees on the site or compound of a temple are considered sacred and are let to grow bigger and bigger. Some big trees then also become places where offerings are offered.

2. Subak

Subak is a system of water distribution in a certain area of farming with a group of cultivating actors called krama subak. The area of ​​a subak is not identical to the administrative area of ​​an official village (desa dinas), nor is it identical to the traditional village (desa adat / desa pakraman) area. Basically, a subak village is an area with one irrigation system, and because the area of ​​a subak has certain people, namely krama subak, a group of farmers who can also deliberately make regulations (perarem and awig-awig) for their subak region, then a subak area is also called as desa subak or subak village. (Dr. Ni Luh Kartini). 

At the beginning of its history, what was meant by subak is an irrigation system that irrigates rice fields or wet land areas of rice planting. However, in line with the changing times, especially since the invasion of modern farming systems in the early 70s in Bali, slowly and steadily increasing, wet agricultural land which is also called “subak yeh” has turned into dry agricultural land or “subak abian”. Since that time, more and more farmers have abandoned traditional farming systems that are more friendly to natural rhythms. Farmers have been demanded by circumstances and also an unconscious system of globalization, to produce more and faster rice. The use of synthetic chemicals in the form of branded fertilizers and pesticides accompanied the use of superior seeds, a series of modern agricultural systems (currently called conventional agriculture) which slowly but surely damaged the fertility of agricultural areas and the ecosystem.

3. Beji

Beji is an area of ​​holy spring, sources of water or holy water used in every religious ceremony. Water in the beji of a traditional village can be taken for daily drinking by villagers, with a note, following the applicable traditional rules. The rules include: taking only enough, not polluting the beji area, carrying simple offerings and donating as sincerely as possible.

Beji is usually found in the middle or among bamboo forests and large trees not far from a river. In each beji site there is a temple or shrine which is intended for the guardian spirit of the natural drinking water source. In general, fresh water in beji is never run out even in the long dry season. I have not received data or information about the existence of a beji that has run out of water. But, can the water quality be guaranteed for all time?

4. Bulakan

The shallow dug wells that are only 2 meters to 5 meters deep are called bulakan by Balinese. I found four bulakan on four extended family compounds in Selemadeg Timur District, Tabanan. One bulakan is on the compound of Ibu Krisna's extended family in the traditional village of  Megati Kelod. Three bulakans in the traditional village of Bantas, namely on the compound of Ibu Angga’s extended family, on the compound of Ibu Adi’s extended family, and the third compound I meant is the one on Ibu Nova's family compound, right next to the compound where I live now.

The bulakan is also believed to have a guardian spirit, so that on certain days, the owner or one of the inhabitants of the compound also put offerings at the edge of the shallow well as the part of prayers, especially in each new moon and full moon day.

Information about the four bulakan I found, according to the inhabitants of the compounds, they have never been dry even in the long dry season. The quality of the water is not as good as the quality of water contained in beji, which can be drunk directly. However, by my experience, it is better than the water from public pipe for the purpose of watering plants.

5. Kolam BALI (waste water garden pond)

At a time when my neighbor’s grandmother was young, the soap they used was not damaging to the environment, because it was pure from natural ingredients, namely kererek fruit. In some areas, especially in North Bali, until now they still use the kererek fruit to wash dishes and wash clothes. To brush their teeth, some still use what they call as siwak, the intaran tree twigs that are widely grown in North Bali. By using environmentally friendly cleansing and washing materials, laundry rinse water and other used water can be more easily purified and reused, good for consumption especially for washing, flushing and watering the plants.

At that time, in the large family compounds there were usually flower pond that served as cleaner or purifier of wastewater. Aquatic plants grew in the ponds, including lotus and water lily which are included in sacred plants and are also used in traditional religious ceremonies in Bali until now. Other plants that are usually maintained in wastewater ponds is kapu-kapu, a type of water cleaning species. This type of pond is then known as "BALI pond" or pond of Bunga Air Limbah Indah (beautiful wastewater flower garden).

Looking at the life of my neighbor's grandmother, I think and I believe that we in Bali already have enough capital to save water on this island. Our main capital is cultural landscapes. The existence of these cultural landscapes need to be revitalized, and returned to its main function. The points are:

• Sacred big trees around the temples and other sacred places need to be maintained better;
• Our agricultural system needs to be restored as in the days of traditional agricultural systems, namely organic farming;
• Bamboo forests around the beji area need to be protected from massive logging, and pollution in the form of inorganic waste;
• Each existing bulakan is repaired, saved from pollution, and adds vegetation around it. Making more bulakan on family compounds which do not have them and on garden fields or subak abian;
• The last one, as well as the most significant can maintain the cycle of surface water and shallow ground water, is the making of BALI ponds as biological-based purification system, as part of the onsite water cycle system, in neighborhood scale.

As addition points, the landscape of Balinese culture can also be the presence of coconut trees which also included as Bali sacred plants and the original brand of the island, then the soil pavement from natural materials, such as the neat arrangement of river stones or gravel from mountain rocks. With the re-application of the Balinese cultural landscape, rainfall is also naturally not in vain because there are more catchment areas to harvest the rain water that enter the soil in the earth, and maintain the availability of water in the bulakan.

The points above is saving water in Bali actually had been taught by our ancestors in Bali. Exactly what Prof. Sung-Kyun Kim said as an invited lecturer on "River Restoration and Sustainable Waterfront" in Surakarta two years ago: "If you want to learn about sustainability, then learn from your ancestors."

Author: Anita S. Arif, the owner of this blog.

Sources: 

Sugi Lanus, Gede Kresna, Ni Luh Kartini, Bu Krisna, Bu Adi, other people in the neighborhood where i lived and live now, my observations and my experiences.