Strengthening sustainable water resources management of Subak Bengkel as best practices to support Subak system sustainability in Tabanan Regency in dealing with the challenges of climate change impacts. Indonesia

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Updated: 15/12/2025
Strengthening sustainable water resources management of Subak Bengkel as best practices to support Subak system sustainability in Tabanan Regency in dealing with the challenges of climate change impacts. Indonesia

Project Overview

The water that irrigates Subak Bengkel Area comes from Tukad Yeh Empas. In Balinese, Tukad means a river. The Tukad Yeh Empas river basin covers an area of 100.82 km². The irrigation system in the subak system generally consists of 4 (four) main elements, including: (1) The main building, in the form of an intake building located at the water source. (2) Carrier network, in the form of carrier channels that function to connect irrigation water from the source to the rice fields in need. (3) Collection of paddy fields with water distribution system, (4) Disposal system, a natural or artificial waterways located outside the subak irrigation area to dispose of excess water

Conserve Process NO
Enhance Process NO
Apply Complementary NO

Ecosystem Services

Provisioning

  • Provisioning Services are ecosystem services that describe the material or energy outputs from ecosystems. They include food, water and other resources.

Regulating

  • Regulating Services are the services that ecosystems provide by acting as regulators eg. regulating the quality of air and soil or by providing flood and disease control.

Habitat / Supporting

  • Ecosystem services "that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services". These include services such as nutrient recycling, primary production and soil formation.

Cultural

  • Cultural Services corresponds nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences.

Major Issues

No issues provided.

EH Engineering Solutions

Pest attacks on massive rice plants are

Pest attacks on massive rice plants are mainly rats and leafhoppers. The cultural ceremony namely The Mreteka Merana is one of the ceremonies held by the Subak management to control rats when a severe attack occurs. In addition, to overcome rat infestation, farmers cultivate owls (Tyto alba) as natural enemies of rat pests.

Phytotechnology was applied in several different project

Phytotechnology was applied in several different project locations, particularly in TP3R (Waste Management Site Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) and in the inlet of each paddy field group (tempek). • Organic Fertilizer House (TPS3R) Waste management is a solution to reduce the amount of waste by processing organic waste into fertilizer. Waste comes from the residue of household activities in the village. Waste processing into fertilizer is carried out daily by cleaners whom the village government

To manage a section of the Subak

To manage a section of the Subak System, it was designed to culturally perform structures, which are classified as utilization of water. The subak system emerged with the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (three happiness) consisting of palemahan (environment, rice fields, flora, and fauna), pawongan (farmers), and Narayanan (subak culture) contained as wisdom. The assumed tangible material and ecological effects are: • Reduce water pollution and sedimentation. • Mitigate water discharge fluctuation. • Minimize crop failure inside Subak The scope of the adaptation measure consists of: 1. Hydrological Engineering: • Engagement of local government through the Tabanan District Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (PUPR) as responsible for the development of water irrigation infrastructure on primary and secondary waterways. The amount of Tukad Yeh Dati water in 2019 that entered the Yeh Panan Selatan Dam and flowed to Subak Bengkel was 722.4 l/dt.

Project Activities

  • Several key ecohydrology-related activities in the demosite include:
  • • Implementation of the Ecohydrology – Nature Based Solutions (EH-NBS)
  • • Education and stakeholders’ engagement in sustainable water management inside Subak
  • • Climate adaptation in rural areas with demonstration plots as an example
  • • Management of water resources in a rural area
  • • Agriculture
  • • Bioremediation and Phytotechnology

Expected Outcomes

Latest Results

No results provided yet.

Social-Ecological System

Integrated view of principles, objectives, stakeholders and methodology.

Ecohydrology Principles and Solutions

Hydrological Quantification
  • Quantification of the hydrological processes at catchment scale and mapping the impacts | Ecological engineering (integration, dual regulation and biotechnologies in catchment scale for enhancement of ecological potential)
Ecological Identification
Ecological Engineering & Nature-based Solutions
  • Pest attacks on massive rice plants are mainly rats and leafhoppers. The cultural ceremony namely The Mreteka Merana is one of the ceremonies held by the Subak management to control rats when a severe attack occurs. In addition, to overcome rat infestation, farmers cultivate owls (Tyto alba) as natural enemies of rat pests. | Phytotechnology was applied in several different project locations, particularly in TP3R (Waste Management Site Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) and in the inlet of each paddy field group (tempek). • Organic Fertilizer House (TPS3R) Waste management is a solution to reduce the amount of waste by processing organic waste into fertilizer. Waste comes from the residue of household activities in the village. Waste processing into fertilizer is carried out daily by cleaners whom the village government | To manage a section of the Subak System, it was designed to culturally perform structures, which are classified as utilization of water. The subak system emerged with the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (three happiness) consisting of palemahan (environment, rice fields, flora, and fauna), pawongan (farmers), and Narayanan (subak culture) contained as wisdom. The assumed tangible material and ecological effects are: • Reduce water pollution and sedimentation. • Mitigate water discharge fluctuation. • Minimize crop failure inside Subak The scope of the adaptation measure consists of: 1. Hydrological Engineering: • Engagement of local government through the Tabanan District Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (PUPR) as responsible for the development of water irrigation infrastructure on primary and secondary waterways. The amount of Tukad Yeh Dati water in 2019 that entered the Yeh Panan Selatan Dam and flowed to Subak Bengkel was 722.4 l/dt.

Objectives

EH Objectives
Water 5/5
Biodiversity 5/5
Services 4/5
Resilience 5/5
Cultural Heritage 0/5
Project Objectives
  • Culture, Subak, estimated to have been born in the 11th century is a Balinese cultural heritage with extraordinary cultural values such as authentic, universal, and accepted by all groups. The subak reflects the philosophical concept of Tri Hita Karana, which brings together the realms of the spirit, the human world, and nature. The congregations of water temples, that underpin the water management of the subak landscape, aim to sustain a harmonious relationship with the natural and spiritual world, through an intricate series of rituals, offerings, and artistic performances. Education, APCE – UNESCO C2C and University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) provide several courses where Subak Bengkel demosite plays an important role in student, farmer, and related stakeholders education. Law, According to Bali Provincial Regulation No.9 of 2012, Subak is a traditional organization in the field of water use and or crop management at the farming level in indigenous communities in Bali, which is socio-agrarian, religious, and economic, which historically continues to grow and develop. Policy, Subak has a structural relationship with superior government institutions namely Sedahan, Sedahan Agung, and Regional Head, especially in the imposition of the property tax, to support increasing agricultural production. Governance, The Regional Government may involve in the management and development of subak by providing grants based on the Bali Governor's Regulation.

Key Stakeholders

Asia Pacific Centre for Ecohydrology (APCE) - UNESCO C2C in Collaboration with the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) UMM SDGs Center Government of Tabanan Regency Tabanan District Agricultural Office Tabanan Regency Ministry of Environment and Forestry of The Republic of Indonesia Ministry of Education Culture, Research and Technology Bengkel and Pangkung Tibah Villages Bank Indonesia Pekaseh of Subak Bengkel Local people/community Conservation International Peace Maker Foundation

Methodology