TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Collaborative measures in the archipelago needed to ensure water security
Water is essential to life on earth. In fact, more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface is covered by water, while the substance itself makes up more than half of the human body.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
W
ater is essential to life on earth. In fact, more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface is covered by water, while the substance itself makes up more than half of the human body. Despite its ubiquity, only about 2.5 percent of water on earth is fresh and, like all natural resources, freshwater is finite.
As an archipelagic nation, Indonesia’s water resources account for 6 percent of the world’s and 21 percent of Asia-Pacific’s resources. However, more than half of Indonesia’s rivers are heavily polluted. Of those, the Indonesian National Planning Agency (Bappenas) reported that 70 percent are polluted by domestic waste.
A Bappenas report titled Vision 2045 Towards Water Security found that achieving Indonesia’s Vision 2045 requires an average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 5.7 percent. However, the report also stated that if water-related threats remain unaddressed, GDP is likely to be 7.3 percent lower by 2045.
With Indonesia gearing up to host the 10th World Water Forum in Bali next year, the forum’s theme of Water for Shared Prosperity, highlights the importance of an alliance between innovation, governance and finance in bringing water to all.
Speaking at The Jakarta Post’s JakPost UpClose 45th webinar titled Life flows on: Ensuring water security across the archipelago, Meike Kencanawulan, Settlement Infrastructure Financing director at the Public Works and Housing Ministry, highlighted the challenges in financing and climate-induced disasters, with an urgent need for increased investment in water infrastructure.
Indonesia, facing substantial coverage gaps, struggles to meet its targets amid a mere 2 percent annual increase. Meike stressed the imperative for diverse financing mechanisms to bridge this gap by 2024.
"Facing the dual challenges of inadequate financing and climate disasters, our water supply efforts are strained. Insufficient funding, worsened by climate shifts, hampers progress. Despite our resolve, existing measures fall short amid population growth. Urgent, radical actions are crucial for wider coverage, vital in combating stunting and serving communities."
Amid Indonesia's pursuit of enhanced water accessibility, the challenge of achieving universal clean water access remains evident. With only 30 percent of the population currently having access to piped water, the government's aim to escalate this to 100 percent presents a formidable task.
President director of PT Air Bersih Jakarta L. Bano Rangkuty, through the MOYA sustainable water supply system, envisions connecting 15 million households, a leap toward this goal. His efforts align with the Government Work Plan's pivotal objective to provide piped water to 10 million households, surpassing initial expectations by over 5 million.
The collaborative efforts between the company, the Public Works and Housing Ministry and Jakarta-owned water operator PAM Jaya signal a harmonious approach to address the challenges, seize opportunities and strategize for a robust water supply system.
As Jakarta faces annual land subsidence averaging 12-18 centimeters due to excessive groundwater extraction, Bano's emphasis on sustainability processes becomes imperative. His initiatives not only meet health standards but also pave the way for the 100 percent tap water coverage target by 2030.
“We're still very keen to assist the government in order to be able to increase the coverage in Indonesia, meaning that we are not just going to focus in Java or in Sumatra, but anywhere there's a chance together with the government to increase access to clean water,” he said.
PAM Jaya technical director Untung Suryadi noted the correlation between water supply, happiness and the company’s own goal, explaining that water plays a vital role in eradicating social inequality and improving civilization.
“Piped water is the connecting link for citizens of Jakarta to a modern and quality life. At PAM Jaya, we channel water as though we are channeling happiness. Happiness that leads us to finding meaning and purposes, which is by presenting water sovereignty for all citizens of Jakarta through increasing the service coverage up to 100 percent by 2030.”
He acknowledged the limitations, which are tackled through innovations, such as the introduction of communal reservoirs to reach low-supply areas. Strategic planning to enhance service coverage through Surface Water Supply Systems (SPAM) by 2030, they align with Indonesia's objective to increase household water distribution.
M. Habib Abiyan Dzakwan, a researcher at the Centre for Strategic International Studies, highlighted water's interconnectedness with various sectors like mineral extraction and agriculture, advocating for collective responsibility across ministries and local governments and stressing the need to view water issues holistically.
Saltwater intrusion is one of the main topics that he discussed. “Water can be seen as a standalone issue, and we need to think about long-term issues such as saltwater intrusion. When talking about climate change, all those regions lying in the coastal areas need to think about this saltwater intrusion.”
He advocated for a shift in domestic constituents' perception, urging them to consider water security while electing leaders. His call for a foreign policy centered on water security, especially in the Mekong region, underscores the need for international collaboration.
The recent drought and heat wave brought by the El Niño phenomenon has underlined the finiteness of water as well as its infinitely valuable status. Without collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to ensure water security, there would be no food and no life.
