Moved to Tears, Denpasar Mayor Appeals to Village Chiefs for Waste Management Support
Denpasar Mayor I Gusti Ngurah Jaya Negara held back tears whilst appealing for the support of all village heads, customary leaders, and subdistrict chiefs across Denpasar to assist in managing city waste through village channels. The appeal was made during a meeting at Graha Sewaka Dharma in Denpasar.
Jaya Negara initially presented Mayoral Instruction No. 100.3.4.3/1/HK of 2026 concerning the guidance and supervision of waste management. The instruction also referenced the status of Denpasar City Government, which is currently under investigation regarding the Suwung Landfill (TPA).
“Now the status has become an investigation—all of you know that the backbone of all this is the Mayor. Because of that, I am pleading,” said Jaya Negara, voice breaking as he held back tears, on Monday (9 March 2026).
“I am pleading for your support, all of you, so that we can work together. I ask for your support so that we can implement the Minister’s directive,” he continued, met with applause from those present.
Under the Mayoral Instruction, the Head of Community and Village Empowerment Office together with subdistrict chiefs are required to conduct socialisation and facilitate guidance and supervision of waste management in villages and subdistricts within their respective areas.
Additionally, they are tasked with monitoring and evaluating waste management, particularly regarding the construction of composter wells or modern teba as well as other composting methods.
Meanwhile, village heads and subdistrict administrators are mandated to conduct socialisation and accelerate the realisation of modern teba development in their respective areas. They are also asked to conduct monitoring and evaluation at grassroots level, ranging from households, boarding houses, to businesses, to optimise waste sorting at source.
Jaya Negara added that customary leaders are also asked to play an active role in guiding and supervising waste management in their respective banjars (village subdivisions).
Jaya Negara noted that so far only two villages have begun providing composter bags—Kertalangu Village and Tegal Harum Village.
“The village head of Kertalangu has managed to distribute 2,000 composter bags in his respective banjars. The village head has also conducted socialisation,” he said.
“And the village head of Tegal Harum, coincidentally when the announcement of Suwung landfill closure came, had already distributed 2,500 composter bags because there is no waste processing facility there,” he concluded.