The Indonesian government has engaged all stakeholders to ensure the success of the 10th World Water Forum, including the scholars who play a crucial role in creating science-based solutions to various water-related challenges.

In line with this commitment, on February 29, 2024, lecturers at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) organized a talk show titled "Road to the 10th World Water Forum Stadium General Chapter Yogyakarta".

The talk show was attended by the Director of Water Resources Management System and Strategy at the Ministry of public Works and Public Housing (MPWH) Birensrajana, Representative of Gajah Wong Community Purbudi Wahyuni and Lecturer of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UGM prof. Joko Sujono.

Also present at the event were Head of the Serayu Opak River Basin Agency (BBWS) Gatut Bayuadji and Head of the Sabo Engineering Agency Era Nugraha Abdi. The five panelists hosted an animated discussion under the theme "Fostering Peace and Prosperity through Integrated River Basin Management: Collaborative Governance and Disaster Risk."

In his address, Prof. Sugeng, Vice Dean of Education and Student Affairs, stated that water is indispensable in life. Therefore, clean water provision is crucial, and one way to address this challenge is through the upcoming 10th World Water Forum scheduled for May 18-25, 2024, in Bali.

Improving drinking water services

Birendrajana, as the keynote speaker, highlighted that water needs continue to rise while water availability remains relatively constant. This condition is also challenged by climate change and land use conversion.

Although Indonesia has abundant surface water resources totaling 2.78 trilion cubic meters, its distribution is unevem. Moreover, the existing water availability is not fully supported by drinking water services for public consumption.

 "Therefore, water resources need to be managed considering social, environmental, and economic functions in order to achieve synergy and integration between regions, sectors, and generations to meet the people's water needs," said Birendrajana.

Through Presidential Regulation No. 90 of 2016, Indonesia has established the Drinking Water Supply System Improvement Agency (BPPSPAM) to assist both central and local governments in serving the public water needs.

The government has also aligned the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets with the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2020-2024 to achieve 100% access to drinking water and sanitation. Currently, the coverage of drinking water services has reached 91.05%, with sanitation access increasing by 80.92%.

Integrated Watershed Management

During the talk show, Prof. Joko Sujono explained the concept of integrated water resources and watershed management. He emphasized that resolving watershed degradation issues cannot be done partially considering that watersheds are systems.

He further explained that in general, watersheds are divided into three parts with their respective functions: upstream, midstream, and downstream. The upstream area functions as a water recharge area and must be directed towards protected areas. Meanwhile, the midstream functions as distribution, and the downstream as utilization zones.

Each part of the watersheds is interconnected, so if damage occurs, the entire system will be disrupted. Therefore, an integrated watershed management approach is needed between one area and another. Integrated watershed management aims to align various development aspects that directly impact rivers.

Indonesian integrated watershed management is realized through the Serayu Opak River Basin Agency (BBWS). This institution is a technical implementing unit of the Directorate General of Water Resources at the Ministry of MPWH, tasked with managing water resources in two river basin areas, namely Serayu-Bogowonto and Progo-Opak-Serang.

Furthermore, Indonesia will showcase the success of integrated watershed management in the Citarum Harum program at the 10th World Water Forum. This international conference will be a historic milestone for global communities in raising awareness of the importance of water for life.

As the host country, Indonesia invited the participation of various cross-border stakeholders to discuss and generate tangible ideas and innovative thinking in addressing water-related challenges. The 10th World Water Forum is expected to create collaborations among countries to address water issues.