Parties Asked To Maintain Subak Sustainability

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has asked all parties in the province to maintain the sustainability of the Subak traditional irrigation system after UNESCO listed it as one of the world's cultural heritages.

"I think it is good of UNESCO to list Subak as a world cultural heritage, and therefore, all parties must follow it up by maintaining its sustainability," the governor said here on Tuesday.

He affirmed that the provincial government would make a serious effort to preserve and maintain the Subak traditional irrigation system in the province.

The governor noted that the local government would increase fund allocation for the system and study the possibility of establishing a Subak special protection institute.

Meanwhile, provincial cultural service spokesman I Ketut Suastika opined that UNESCO's decision to include Subak in the world cultural heritage list should be supported by preserving the Subak farmlands.

"With UNESCO's acknowledgement, Subak will add to the attraction of Bali for tourists, but at the same time, it will also pose a challenge in terms of its preservation through regulation and public support," Suastika remarked.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Education and Cultural Minister Windu Nuryanti confirmed on Sunday that UNESCO has decided to acknowledge the Subak system as a world cultural heritage.

"There is good news for Indonesia. UNESCO has agreed to designate Subak as a world cultural heritage," she stated in a short message to ANTARA on Sunday.

According to Nuryanti, UNESCO will announce the decision in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 20, 2012.

Subak is a traditional irrigation system that has been practised for hundreds of years in Bali.

It plays a very important role in the life of the Balinese people who own rice farms.(*/T007)