Lake Batur Shrinks By 50 Percent, Experts Warn of Severe Water Crisis

Lake Batur in Kintamani district, Bangli regency, has reached a critical low point as its depth plummeted by nearly 50 percent alongside severe water quality degradation, according to findings revealed at the National Seminar of 100 Years of Rarud Batur held on Sunday.

Environmental expert and Forum Danau Nusantara chairperson Prof Ni Luh Kartini stated that the lake's depth once reached 120 meters but now stands between 64 and 80 meters. Furthermore, the water quality has dropped to Class 3, rendering it suitable only for agriculture and fisheries rather than drinking.

"This represents a nearly 50 percent decrease, and the cause traces directly back to surrounding environmental problems," said Prof. Kartini during the seminar.

The ecosystem faces additional strain from annual upwelling events triggered by agricultural fertilizer residues, which cause massive fish kills, alongside an aggressive invasion of Red Devil predator fish that now dominate 80 percent of the lake's aquatic population.

Without consistent law enforcement and strict government intervention to regulate activities within this confined ecosystem, Bali faces the imminent threat of a catastrophic island-wide water crisis.