Efforts to preserve the sustainability of subak irrigation system in Denpasar city, Bali Province, Indonesia

Department of Civil Engineering, Universitas Udayana, Badung, Bali, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: inorken@yahoo.co.uk

Abstract

Subak as an irrigation system in Bali is estimated to have existed before the IX century and up to now subak has consistently maintained the continuity of traditional irrigation management and operation of the irrigation system. Subak is a socio-agrarian and religious based on the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana rooted in Hindu philosophy. The challenge of subak in general is that the shrinking of the subak area, the farmers are unable to achieve a decent living, the age of the farmers is over 40 years, the financial burden that farmers bear in doing subak activities is very heavy. The condition is also very much felt in the city of Denpasar as the capital of the province of Bali. The Government has determined to preserve subak as a cultural heritage to realize Denpasar as a Heritage City. The conservation effort is carried out through: maintaining the subak area through local regulations as green open space (RTHK), providing various assistance such as: exempting subak areas from taxes and providing insurance assistance in case of crop failure, assistance for ritual implementation, irrigation channel repair assistance, production facilities, agricultural equipment assistance, incentives for subak managers, providing assistance in realizing subak as ecotourism, plan to provide scholarships for the children of subak farmers.