One of Bali’s most controversial development projects has been officially completed. The Uluwatu Sea Wall Project was put in place to handle cracks in the cliff face beneath Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple.
The project received a huge amount of criticism from local residents and Bali lovers after concerns were raised about the environmental impact of the development.
The Head of Water Resources at the Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) Department of Badung Regency, Anak Agung Rama Putra, has confirmed that the Uluwatu Sea Wall Project at Pura Luhur Uluwatu is 100% completed.
The work has seen four key components put in place; the access road, the installation of coast protections structures known as revetments, the securing of the cliff cracks directly beneath the sacred area of Pura Luhur Uluwatu and the renovation of Pura Beji.
Putra told reporters “The seawall progress because of that from the design and build provider is already 100 percent. Up next based on the direction from the Regent and ordered by the Acting Head of PUPR is to continue to Batu Metandal Temple according to the community’s proposal.”
He confirmed that additional work to construct revetments through to Batu Metandal Temple, and secure cracks in the cliff on the left side of the temple will also be delivered in due course.
Notably, he confirmed that new trees will be planted to re-green the area and that the trees planted will provide a suitable habitat for the resident troop of long-tailed macaque monkeys who reside in the area.
Many local residents were deeply concerned that the wild monkeys had been displaced and were left without access to food and shelter after their home range was cleared to allow for the access road to the sea wall to be built.
Putra confirmed that the additional work will continue through 2025 and into 2026 and will be delivered based on budget allowances from the regency and provincial governments in Bali.
He told reporters “This is a big project, we are calculating it in changes with uncertain conditions, which we can work on with a certain time later.”
Putra concluded by shared that the formal blessing ceremonies for the new developments will not be held in 2025, but will rather be held when the second and final phase of the work on the Uluwatu Sea Wall Project is completed.
He shared “The ceremony will not be this year, because it must be completely finished so that it does not happen twice. We want everything to be completely finished first.”
The Uluwatu Sea Wall Project was one of the most controversial developments in Bali in recent years. Many local residents raised concerns that the project was given the go-ahead before a full environmental impact assessment, known locally as an AMDAL, was completed.
On more than one occasion the construction team was given warnings about their construction methods. After footage emerged online of diggers and trucks dumping cliff debris directly into the ocean, rather than responsibly removing it from the site, Uluwatu locals sounded the alarm, resulting in interventions from the Attorney General’s Office.
Uluwatu is one of Bali’s fastest-growing resort areas. Located on the southwesterly edge of the Bukit Peninsula for decades its only international visitors were intrepid surfers looking to get barrelled by the world-class waves of the Bukit.
Fast forward to 2025 and Uluwatu offers something for every tourist demographic and is home to some of the most luxurious hotels, resorts, and beach clubs on the island.
Despite its rapid expansion as a tourist destination, Uluwatu remains one of the most important areas of the island for Balinese Hindus.
Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of the six key sea temples on the island which form a protective chain around the whole coastline to ward off evil forces and the the negative energies that are believed to dwell in the ocean.
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