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Indonesia to voice importance of water security in World Water Forum
The National Development Planning Ministry stressed the urgency for Indonesia and other participating countries to tackle the problem of growing water demands amid the small number of water sources.
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Loading up: Residents collect clean water provided by the local administration on Oct. 13, 2023, in the drought-hit village of Gunungguruh in Sukabumi regency, West Java. The prolonged dry season dried up wells in the village. (Antara/Henry Purba)
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ndonesia is to raise concerns about water security among other pressing issues when hosting the 10th World Water Forum this week in Bali under the theme Water for Shared Prosperity.
The world’s largest water event will be held from May 18 to 25, joined by 172 countries and around 100,000 participants. Organized by the World Water Council and the host country every three years, the event aims to bring together the government, academia, civil society and the private sector to collaborate on global water challenges.
Speaking at a media briefing in Jakarta on Thursday, the National Development Planning Ministry's forest and water resources conservation director Medrilzam stressed the urgency for Indonesia and other participating countries to tackle the problem of growing water demand amid a small number of water sources.
Of the water that covers 70 percent of planet Earth, fresh water that can be used by humans makes up only around 2.5 percent and surface water only covers 1.2 percent.
Moreover, Medrilzam revealed that more than half of the world’s population in 2050 is predicted to live in water-stressed areas, where the demand exceeds the availability of water sources.
“In Indonesia, there have been several studies showing the majority of the country’s water springs have gone, with the water in dams producing electricity also decreasing,” he said on Thursday.
For that reason, Medrilzam emphasized the importance for Indonesia to not only build more dams to collect water, but also to focus on conserving water resources.
