GILI TRAWANGAN, Lombok — A clean water crisis on Gili Trawangan is beginning to take a toll on the island’s tourism industry, with hundreds of visitors reportedly cutting their holidays short and leaving the popular destination earlier than planned.
The water supply reportedly stopped completely around midnight on Thursday, September 3, leaving hotels, villas, restaurants and other tourism businesses struggling to maintain basic operations.
Lalu Kusnawan, chairman of the Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association (IHGMA) in West Nusa Tenggara and head of the Gili Trawangan Hotel Association, said around 300 tourists had already checked out early because of the disruption.
“About 300 people have chosen to check out early and leave Gili Trawangan,” Kusnawan said on Saturday.
The shortage has left accommodation providers scrambling for alternatives. Some businesses have reportedly resorted to using swimming pool water for basic sanitation, while others have arranged for water to be brought over from mainland Lombok.
But getting water across the sea is neither simple nor cheap. Tourism operators say water transported by boat comes at a high cost, and the available supply has not been enough to meet the island’s needs.
The disruption is particularly concerning because Gili Trawangan remains one of North Lombok’s busiest tourism destinations. Kusnawan said the island can receive more than 3,000 visitors a day.
For hotels and other tourism businesses, the consequences are already being felt. A lack of water affects everything from guest rooms and toilets to restaurants and daily cleaning, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to provide the standard of service visitors expect.
Kusnawan said the water problem was not a new issue and warned that tourism businesses would face growing difficulties if the disruption continued.
Local tourism operators have been coordinating with the North Lombok Regency Government and the West Nusa Tenggara provincial government in an effort to restore the supply. They are also seeking intervention from the central government.
Tourism businesses are preparing a letter to President Prabowo Subianto to raise concerns about the continuing water supply problems affecting the Gili islands.
The crisis highlights a basic but critical challenge facing island destinations: tourism cannot function without reliable infrastructure.
Gili Trawangan has built its reputation on its beaches, marine activities and lively tourism scene. But for visitors staying on a small island, access to something as basic as clean water can ultimately determine whether they stay — or decide to leave early.
The West Nusa Tenggara Government has said it is coordinating with the central government and relevant stakeholders to address the crisis and work towards restoring the water supply.
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