Today, the same laws exist, but they are never enforced. Wildlife once roamed the areas where the town met the forest and rivers ran to the sea - even during the dry seasons. Today, Dili is an environmental and ecological disaster waiting to happen. The rivers are dry. Even during the rains, only a trickle of water reaches the sea.
Water is scarce.
Each year, the volume of surface water drops further. Ultimately, groundwater levels will also drop. Dili was once a swamp. In places, the remnants of that swamp provide a few small pockets of land suitable for growing greens. The only other options for growing food are the city's drains where untreated sewage and wastes are dumped.