T

he Jakarta administration will work with the Singapore government and Singaporean firms to optimize the capital city'€™s water management and improve urban planning.

During a meeting with a delegation from Singapore at City Hall on Tuesday, Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said that Jakarta could learn much about city planning from Singapore.

'€œWe can learn a lot from Singapore. Singapore has a lot of experience with water management, urban planning, energy and infrastructure [...] therefore, I think it is a good step to cooperate with them,'€ Ahok announced after the meeting.

Ahok went on to say that Jakarta could benefit through closer cooperation, particularly in water management, urban planning, energy and logistics.

'€œI'€™ve told them, if Singaporean companies are interested, I will personally help them get in touch with the Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce [Kadin] and our city-owned firms,'€ he said.

Ahok added that though no cooperation had yet been signed, he supported Singaporean investment in Jakarta and urged local companies to follow suit.

Meanwhile, Singapore State Minister of Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck said that he was optimistic about working with the Jakarta administration and local businesses.

'€œThe governor was very clear on the vision of what he would like us [to invest in] and he was also very clear on how he would like to build Jakarta and the type of city that he wanted [...]. His clear vision has really helped us to see the opportunities; therefore, we are very optimistic,'€ Teo said.

He added that he was confident that Singapore companies could help develop Jakarta.

'€œThe governor mentioned urban development, water management, energy, logistics and transportation. These are the sectors that our companies have knowledge in and could contribute to,'€ Teo said.

Singapore is well-known for its careful urban planning, made all the more important due to its land scarcity and population density. The city also boasts a highly efficient subway system.

The city'€™s water management was awarded the Stockholm Industry Water Award in 2007 for its holistic approach to regulating water resources, another scarce resource in Singapore.

Singapore was one of the first countries to implement electronic road pricing (ERP), which is a system that charges motorists for using certain streets prone to congestion.

The Singaporean company, Watch Data, is set to run a trial of its ERP system in Central Jakarta.

'€œWe hope to be able to bring the same knowledge to replicate the success of Singapore in Jakarta,'€ Teo said.