BALI’s popular Kuta beach has been off limits to tourists since Thursday due to debris brought ashore by seasonal winds, combined with bacterial bloom and rotting plankton that have turned the water dark brown.
Ngurah Rai Fish Quarantine Laboratory head, Putu Eka Sudaryatma, was quoted by the Jakarta Globe as saying the bacterial contamination was likely due to the large amount of waste discharged into the sea reacting to unusually high temperatures.�?��?�
“We don’t know what kind of bacteria we’re looking at because it’ll take at least five days to run the tests to find out,” Eka added.
Bali Tourism Office head Ida Bagus Kadek Subiksu said his office was working with relevant authorities to alert the public. �?��?�In the meantime, tourists have been advised by the Kuta lifeguard unit not to swim in the waters to avoid skin rashes or other potential health risks.
Anak Agung Ngurah Tresna, head of the Kuta lifeguard unit, said tourist numbers at the beach had drastically fallen in recent days.
