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Last Saturday in Bali, traffic came to a standstill. Roads were practically empty and air and sea traffic came to a grinding halt. But as our correspondents in Bali report, this tradition dates back hundreds of years.
Last Saturday, Bali residents celebrated the cultural-religious tradition of Nyepi. All people in Bali, including foreign tourists, are required to obey and respect several restrictions imposed on this particular day: no traveling or starting a fire.
All transportation came to a screeching halt... even the airport and seaports were closed.
At Ngurah Rai Airport it was practically dead, except for several security personnel. This road that is usually full of cars and motorcycles, also empty.
Yoga Pratama, from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, says that Nyepi reduces pollution greatly.
[Yoga Pratama, Indonesian Forum for the Environment]:
"The government supplies four liters of gasoline each day, multiplied by the amount of carbon emitted, one liter is about 1,000 grams of carbon dioxide. In Bali, there are four million motorcycles, so just multiply it. Not to mention buses and cars. In Bali, cars use 10 liters of gasoline at least. Also, the aircraft that go in and out of Bali, they produce most of the emissions."
Nyepi has been celebrated for hundreds of years in Bali. It offers a valuable lesson for other countries on how to cut back emissions and improve the environment.
NTD News, Bali, Indonesia.
