One of the buildings at Bingin Beach has caught fire. Tracks has been made aware of videos circulating on social media showing what seems to be a large scale fire coming from one of the structures on the cliff face. This comes at a time when the businesses on the cliff are currently being demolished by the government.
It currently remains unclear what has caused the fire, whether it was intentional and if it’s under control. At the time of writing, the fire is still burning and it appears there are a number of beachgoers on the sand while this is happening. Tracks has reached out to our contacts on the Bukit for more information.
The footage, taken from the nearby Dreamland beach, shows the roof of a building on fire while plumes of smoke are wafting out to sea.
Last month the Bedung Regency government began demolishing all the businesses on Bingin cliff. Their argument is that these businesses are violating planning laws and spatial regulations. Many families set up shop here years ago when Bingin was nothing but jungle, and the government have said they did so without permits and on state land which is not theirs.
The decision was met with serious backlash from the international surfing community and many local Balinese who believe their livelihoods are being destroyed.
Local Piter Panjaitan also questioned the negative environmental impact the demolition would have on the surrounding area.
“We have been given no time frame for how long the demolition will take. They can’t get an excavator down there, so are they planning to do it with their own hands? It’s going to take them years to get rid of everything. Where will the rubble and rubbish go? We have seen it with the Uluwatu cliff, it will end up in the sea. Within a week or two there will be no one on the beach because it will be full of dust and rubble.
“If no one wants to access the beach at Bingin then it’s going to have an impact on tourism in the whole area, not just the beach. It will affect the whole Bingin community.”
A petition to raise awareness around the issue was started and has been signed over 20,000 people.
“If this demolition proceeds, hundreds of Balinese families face the risk of losing everything, from their businesses and homes to their sole source of income. What’s at stake isn’t just the physical structure, but the future of a destination that has grown and developed organically by the local community over more than 40 years, becoming the globally recognised Bingin Beach,” the petition reads.
“Meanwhile, a well-known property developer and operator of one of Canggu’s most famous beach clubs has begun promoting property investment opportunities using the image of Bingin Beach, despite the lack of official development approval, let alone consultation with the local community.”
We will continue to update this post when we find out more information.
