On 8 April 2026, over 110 participants from government, knowledge institutions, and the private sector joined a webinar dedicated to the evolving water partnership between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Marking 25 years of collaboration under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Water, the session highlighted how this long-standing trust is being translated into large-scale, impactful projects.

The current cooperation is built on a three-level approach integrating policy, governance, and practice across four strategic thematic areas.

1. Integrated Water Resilience

Focused on North Java and Bali, this working group addressed the dual threats of flooding and land subsidence. Key highlights included:

• Water as Leverage (WaL) Semarang: An integrated water management approach based on catchment boundaries rather than administrative borders. This approach promotes inter-agency collaboration and has been recognized at the national level as a model with potential for replication across North Java.
• Bali DRRS (Dutch Disaster Risk Reduction and Surge Support) Deployments: following recent flood events in Bali (September 2025), the importance of rapid flood modelling tools, addressing solid waste issues, and recognizing the leading role of local actors in flood risk management were emphasized.

2. Lowland Development and Irrigation

The focus here was on optimising existing lowland areas to enhance food security, with sustainable water management as a key enabler of agricultural productivity. Upcoming activities on capacity building, e-learning, and the further development of Smart Innovative Water Management (SIWM) for Indonesia’s lowlands were presented.

• Vision: Transitioning toward digital tools and blended learning (combining e-learning with in-person training).
• Expansion: Discussions explored linking Dutch expertise with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s upcoming OLIFS programme to optimize Indonesian lowlands.

3. Knowledge Exchange, Capacity Building & Youth

Acting as the ‘connective tissue’ of the partnership, this group focused on embedding Dutch expertise into local institutions.

• Lifelong Learning: HAS University of Applied Sciences has introduced a framework to transition students into professionals, ensuring knowledge is scalable from now until the end of 2027.
• Expert Database: Participants were encouraged to join the water experts database to streamline future collaborations.

4. Coastal Protection: The ‘Giant Seawall’

With the establishment of the North Java Coastal Protection Authority (BOPPJ), the partnership is supporting President Prabowo’s vision for a resilient coastline. The organization currently has over 100 staff and prioritizes coastal protection for Jakarta and the Semarang region. The project is scheduled to start in late 2026 to early 2027.

• Major Investment: Invest International Public Programmes (IIPP) is preparing a €150–200M investment decision for coastal protection in Demak and Cirebon.
• Nature-based Solutions: Supported by EcoShape, the project explores hybrid ‘green-grey’ infrastructure to protect communities while enhancing local welfare. The outcomes have been translated into landscape visions for both Cirebon and Demak, serving as a foundation for further discussions with the IIPP Develop2Build project.

Looking Ahead

The webinar reaffirmed that the Dutch-Indonesian partnership is moving from an advisory role towards large-scale implementation.

Want to know more about the presentations and reports from this webinar. You can look at them here:

Reports
Working Group 1: Integrated Water Resilience for North Java. Read the report on Working Group 1.
Working Group 2: Lowland development and Irrigation. Read the report on Working Group 2.
Working Group 3: Knowledge, capacity building & youth engagement. Read the report on Working Group 3.
Working Group 4 :Coastal protection. Read the report on Working Group 4.

Presentations
Presentation Plenary Webinar
Presentation Break-out Working Group 1
Presentation Break-out Working Group 2
Presentation Break-out Working Group 3
Presentation Break-out Working Group 4

For centuries, batik has shaped the cultural identity and livelihoods of communities in Pekalongan, Indonesia. Yet today, the craft sits at the centre of one of the country’s most pressing water management challenges. With support from Partners for Water, Dutch and Indonesian partners are testing ways to make this heritage industry socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. Project leader Carrina Lim (The Water Agency) and technical lead Guido van Hofwegen (Resilience BV) share their ambition: building a model that batik makers can run themselves – and that can be scaled across Indonesia.

When the river turns black

In Pekalongan, the challenges are acute. Large volumes of untreated wastewater from dyeing processes, heavy use of chemicals, and extensive groundwater extraction are threatening the environment and livelihoods of the local communities.

“During parts of the year, the river literally turns black,” says Carrina. “It becomes too polluted to treat. The city can no longer use its own surface water.” With surface water unusable, batik workshops turn to groundwater. This accelerates water scarcity, land subsidence, salt intrusion and, eventually, the displacement of local communities, as the land becomes unliveable.

“The problem is not only environmental. It is also cultural and economic,” says Carrina. “Batik is part of our heritage, traditionally passed down from mothers to daughters over generations. Yet now the very practice is threatening the environment it depends on. Young people look at this sector and think: why stay? It feels like a doomsday scenario.”

The Green Batik Pekalongan pilot

The two-year Green Batik Pekalongan pilot aims to address the water pollution and availability challenges in Indonesia’s batik sector. It originated from work that Carrina and her team began in 2022, when they first explored Dutch and international solutions for Pekalongan’s wastewater challenges. “We realised quickly how sensitive the topic was,” she says. “You cannot parachute in with a solution – you need to understand the craft, the community, and the constraints first.” By engaging local entrepreneurs, universities, the government and residents, the team continued exploring both technical options and a new business model.

As the concept took shape, The Water Agency brought together a wider coalition to co-design the pilot. The Water Agency leads strategy and community engagement; Resilience BV oversees on-site engineering; Saxion University and Rietland contribute filtration and wetland expertise; and Universitas Pekalongan (UNIKAL) anchors the project locally as the future Green Batik Centre.

Building trust through collaboration

“When we first began discussing wastewater treatment with local producers, it wasn’t a welcome conversation,” Carrina recalls. “People know wastewater is an issue, but they don’t know where to start – and they fear the cost and the risk of changing.” Rather than pushing a problem narrative, the consortium reframed the challenge as an opportunity.

“We asked: what if the first ‘Green Batik’ comes from Pekalongan? Would you like to work with us on that?” Carrina explains. “That made people excited. It became a shared discussion, a shared journey. From that point on, we could begin talking about water as one of the obstacles standing in the way.”

“Currently we are working with four batik entrepreneurs,” Guido adds. “Eventually the pilot aims to work with ten.” These first four workshops – now known as Batik Champions – co-design, host testing and demonstrate the new systems. “They are deeply involved and genuinely collaborative,” he says. Carrina agrees: “This shift from compliance to ownership is essential. Our problems are also their problems. Our successes are also theirs. It’s the foundation of trust.”

Shells and air bubbles

At its core, the solution is deliberately simple. “We created a ‘wetland-in-a-tank’ concept using technical knowledge from our consortium partner Rietland,” Guido explains. “It functions like an artificial wetland, where bacteria living on the filter material break down the wax used in the dying process, dye residues and even faeces.”

Most components are locally sourced, reused waste products. “We fill second-hand tanks with waste seashells from restaurants,” Guido says. “They have a huge surface area for bacteria to live on.” With aeration from small pumps, the process becomes remarkably effective. According to Guido, the water is now around 90% cleaner than before treatment. “It goes from pitch black to almost transparent – cleaner than tea,” he says. “We’re still working on the final ten percent.”

“Ultimately, the goal is to make the system circular,” Carrina adds. “This way, the treated water could be reused in parts of the batik process, reducing groundwater use and closing the loop within each workshop”.

The team refines the system through trial and error. “Early on, insufficient oxygen supply caused the bacteria to die and clog the system,” Guido says. In another case, a workshop’s self-built masonry tank collapsed under its own weight. “The shells filled half the workspace,” Carrina recalls. Yet these setbacks strengthened cooperation. “Everything we do, we’re figuring out together with the entrepreneurs,” she says.

New opportunities

The project also invests in the next generation. Through a collaboration with the Dutch football association’s KNVB WorldCoaches programme, young people learn leadership and environmental awareness by linking sport to sustainable batik. “They learn responsibility – for themselves, for others and for their environment,” Carrina says.
The Dutch Embassy in Jakarta has further expanded opportunities through a Green Batik Design Challenge. “It shows that going green doesn’t only require extra effort,” Carrina explains. “It opens doors: new networks, new markets, new visibility. This is inspiring for local entrepreneurs.”

Looking ahead

The coming year will focus on technical refinement, cost optimisation and replication. The economic model is equally critical. “We are disrupting business-as-usual,” Carrina says. “Once we have a business model, we can begin talking to interested parties to scale up the solution.”

If successful, Pekalongan’s model could inspire sustainable batik production across Indonesia. For Guido, the clearest sign of success is market adoption: “If one workshop outside the project decides to buy the system, that’s when we know we’ve really achieved something.”

For more than a decade, the Dutch Training and Exposure Programme (DUTEP) has connected Indonesia and the Netherlands through its annual capacity building initiative in the water sector. Empowering a new generation of Indonesian water professionals, this past year demonstrated the programme’s growing momentum, strengthened through expanding partnerships and deepening collaborations across urban and national networks. 

A Public–Private Partnership Driving Impact

DUTEP is implemented through a dynamic public-private consortium of Dutch and Indonesian partners, including the City of Rotterdam, Van Oord, NX Filtration, Delfland Water Board, Deltares, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Nuffic Southeast Asia. In 2025, Boskalis made an in-kind contributed to the programme by hosting a closing ceremony at their training facilities in Papendrecht (The Netherlands), where DUTEP participants pitched their innovative research outcomes. This public-private partnership is made possible through the financial backing of supported RVO-Partners for Water and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

On the Indonesian side, the Jakarta City Government (DKI Jakarta) and the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN) participated in this year’s programme. OIKN’s involvement aligns with its commitment to the “sponge city” concept, promoting sustainable water resource management in Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital. The ADB supported this initiative by funding the participation of two young civil servants from OIKN, demonstrating its broader engagement in the development of the new capital. Their specific learning needs were addressed by Deltares, the host organisation, which provided tailored technical expertise in line with their professional development objectives.

DUTEP encourages participants to develop innovative, practical solutions to local water challenges. One example is the Eco Mosque concept winner of the 2019 DUTEP Water Challenge. The initiative focuses on recycling ablution water used before prayer and repurposing it for plant irrigation and cleaning. The project is estimated to save 1,300 litres of water per month.

A more recent example is the development of Taman Gapura Muka Cakung, a new urban park and green public space in Cakung, East Jakarta. Inspired by the ZOHO Rain Letters, a smart rainwater management system in Rotterdam, the park was inaugurated by the Governor of DKI Jakarta in early January 2026.

A Growing Alumni Network

Since its launch in 2014, DUTEP has built a network of over 95 alumni from the Jakarta City Government (DKI Jakarta), the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works (PU) and the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN). Many alumni now hold key positions that strengthen Dutch-Indonesian collaboration in water management. At the same time, the alumni network provides valuable connections for Dutch organisations seeking opportunities in Indonesia.

One example is Cite Aditya, who joined DUTEP in 2015 and conducted research on asset management for the City of Rotterdam. Today, he serves as Head of Development and Environment at the Jakarta City Government.

A year before Cipta joined the programme, Ika Agustin Ningrum began her journey in the first DUTEP cohort with a placement at Delfland Water Board, where she focused on operations and maintenance of flood infrastructure. Today, she leads Jakarta’s Flood Management Department. Discover more about Ika’s DUTEP experience here.

A more recent participant, Mushlih Muharrik from Jakarta’s Development Planning Agency, spent eight weeks in Rotterdam exploring blue-green rooftop farming. This concept demonstrates how Jakarta’s rooftop gardens on school buildings could support healthy canteen programmes and green infrastructure.

A Consortium in Continuous Development

DUTEP’s partners are dedicated to continued knowledge sharing and long-term cooperation. This year, the consortium welcomed NX Filtration, bringing valuable expertise in innovative membrane solutions and advanced treatment technologies. This has enabled DUTEP to delve deeper into the theme of access to piped clean water, a topic of increasing urgency in Indonesia’s urban context.

“We valued the mutual knowledge exchange created by hosting a young civil servant from the Regional Development Planning Agency of DKI Jakarta, whose research internship focused on accelerating alternative water sources to improve access to clean water, closely aligning with our goals.”
— Joris de Grooth, R&D Director at NX Filtration

Despite being at different stages of urban development, Jakarta, Nusantara and Rotterdam share common challenges related to water management and climate change. This commonality creates opportunities for collaboration highlighting DUTEP’s continued importance as a meaningful platform for dialogue and mutual learning between Indonesia and the Netherlands.

Looking Ahead

As DUTEP continues to evolve, the programme is increasingly positioned as a strategic and annual capacity-building initiative within the broader framework of Dutch–Indonesian cooperation in the water sector. Beyond its current scope, the programme has the potential for expansion to other regions in Indonesia, such as Semarang and possibly to other Southeast Asian countries. At the same time, DUTEP offers clear opportunities for strategic scaling across key Indonesia and Dutch partners.

With its adaptable programme design, strong public–private consortium and growing alumni network, DUTEP is well placed to serve as a flagship programme for developing future-ready water professionals and fostering long-term partnerships between Indonesia and the Netherlands. By blending public and private financing streams, DUTEP continues to set a benchmark for collaborative models that deliver innovative and sustainable water solutions for the future.

For more information about DUTEP please contact Charlotte Troost, the Project Development & Support Officer at Nuffic Southeast Asia.

In Sidoarjo, Indonesia, the Farmer Field and Forest Schools (FFFS) programme is demonstrating how nature-based solutions can strengthen sustainable aquaculture and coastal resilience. The initiative brings together local government bodies, private sector partners and Blue Forests to support fish farmers in adopting environmentally sound practices. Through hands-on, participatory learning, farmers have developed practical skills in pond water and soil management, mangrove integration and organic aquaculture methods.

Despite challenges such as shrimp disease outbreaks and tidal flooding, participating farmers showed strong resilience and motivation. Many are already applying their new knowledge to improve water quality and productivity, and several have expressed interest in continuing with future FFFS cycles. The programme builds on EcoShape’s scoping recommendations, lessons learned from the successful FFFS implementation in Demak, and ongoing collaboration with local stakeholders. In doing so, Sidoarjo is paving the way for wider replication and scaling of the FFFS approach.

More information on EcoShape’s scoping recommendations can be found in the following report. 

Local authorities are now exploring how insights from the FFFS can be integrated into new coastal field schools, with interest in expanding the initiative to additional sub-districts. A key factor behind this progress has been the dedicat

What do you do when a city floods during the monsoon, yet faces water shortages in the dry season? Or when you aim to build resilient infrastructure but are confronted with challenges such as informal settlements? For many cities, climate change is exposing these urban vulnerabilities, particularly in delta and coastal areas. Yet it also presents an opportunity to make cities not only more resilient, but also more liveable. We explored what makes a climate-resilient city, and the experiences of five delta cities on the front line of climate change: Semarang, Thủ Đức, Cartagena, Chennai and Beira.

Climate change poses a direct threat to the wellbeing of billions of urban residents. In all cities, climate-related risks are on the rise. At the same time, urbanisation continues to intensify. By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. This growth is putting increased pressure on infrastructure, water, space and public health. Mitigation alone is no longer enough. We must adapt to a climate where extremes are the new normal: too much, too little, or polluted water, as well as heatwaves and droughts.

Without action, damage to urban infrastructure could reach $415 billion per year. The urban poor are hit hardest, often living in high-risk areas without adequate protection. Yet urgency also brings opportunity. By approaching cities as interconnected systems, and working with water and nature, we can build climate-resilient cities that are not only robust, but also greener, healthier and more inclusive.

What is a climate-resilient city?

A climate-resilient city can absorb shocks, adapt to changing conditions, and recover quickly from extreme weather events such as sea level rise, heatwaves, flooding or drought. Resilience goes beyond physical structures – it also applies to institutions, governance systems, and communities. Increasingly, cities are moving from a mindset of control to one of working with change. With smart design, risks can be turned into opportunities: rainwater is captured and reused, urban heat becomes a driver for green and shaded spaces, and nature is integrated as vital infrastructure. Cities that plan ahead and reduce future risks can remain liveable, even under pressure.

Nature-based Solutions and climate-resilient cities

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are approaches to societal challenges that harness natural processes, such as vegetation, soil and water. For cities, they offer an important alternative to traditional ‘grey’ infrastructure such as drainage systems and concrete flood barriers. Because they evolve with changing conditions and deliver multiple benefits simultaneously, NBS are particularly well suited to strengthening urban resilience. Examples include green roofs that reduce heat stress and retain rainwater, or city parks and mangroves that buffer water and slow down flooding. When they are well integrated into urban planning and policy, NBS can create synergy between climate mitigation and adaptation, while also enhancing liveability and biodiversity.

Despite their proven value, NBS are still applied on a relatively limited scale compared to grey infrastructure. Upscaling is essential to ensure cities can withstand increasing pressure from heat, drought and extreme rainfall. Partners for Water works from a systems perspective to maximise the benefits of these solutions, developing sustainable approaches with a strong focus on operation and maintenance.

Five climate-resilient cities around the globe

Semarang

Semarang is a fast-growing coastal city on Java’s north shore that faces some of Indonesia’s most pressing climate challenges. The city’s population has grown from around 1 million to about 1.7 million over the past twenty years. Severe land subsidence – in some areas up to 20 centimetres per year – combined with tidal flooding, flash floods and water scarcity affects residents’ daily lives. Rapid urbanisation and reliance on groundwater extraction further worsen the risks. But the tide is turning: the city aims to become climate-resilient by 2045 through long-term, integrated planning.

To tackle its water challenges, Semarang applies a mix of measures. These include rainwater harvesting in homes and shared spaces to mangrove rehabilitation along the coast, vetiver planting to prevent landslides, and early warning systems for floods and vector-borne diseases. Building on these efforts, the Water as Leverage programme, supported by Partners for Water, pilots integrated, multi-stakeholder solutions that combine NBS with conventional infrastructure and smart data technologies. By bringing together Dutch and Indonesian expertise with strong local involvement, these projects support Semarang towards becoming a climate-resilient city. Read more about Semarang.

Cartagena

Colombia’s historic port city Cartagena is under pressure. The city is growing rapidly but faces rising sea levels, flooding and extreme heat. Most of its one million residents live in low-lying areas, making them especially vulnerable to flooding. By 2050, projections suggest that sea levels around Cartagena – amplified by ongoing land subsidence – could rise by more than 30 centimetres. These predictions put even greater pressure on coastal neighbourhoods. Through the Water as Leverage programme, with support from Partners for Water, residents, local experts and city officials are working together on plans that address both climate risks and socio-economic inequality.

The projects are small in scale but strategically placed, and include water plazas, elevated walkways, mangrove restoration, and improved access to drinking water. This approach integrates all the relevant aspects: design, nature, the social and environmental aspects, as well as the economic and financial ones. By placing local ownership at the heart of the process, the city is building a strong foundation for lasting, inclusive change. Read more about Cartagena.

Thủ Đức City

Thủ Đức City in Vietnam is a city in the making. Today it has just over one million inhabitants, but by 2050 it is expected to grow to around three million residents. Situated between the Saigon and Đồng Nai rivers, the new city is highly exposed to flooding. Extreme rainfall, high river levels, land subsidence and the interaction of these factors make water management a central challenge for its development.

With support from Partners for Water, a blue-green vision has been developed. It combines natural buffers, flood retention zones and smart urban design to better manage excess water. This vision has been translated into spatial plans and policy recommendations focused on working with water, alongside digital systems that support real-time water management. Without adaptation, annual flood-related losses are estimated at nearly USD 67 million and could more than double by the end of the century. By embedding Nature-based Solutions and digital water management systems into its spatial planning, Thủ Đức aims to grow into a resilient metropolis that can withstand both climate pressures and urban pressures. Read more about Thủ Đức City.

Chennai

Chennai is a fast-growing megacity in southern India. It faces a paradox of water extremes: severe flooding during the monsoon followed by extreme drought. Simultaneously, the city is steadily losing its capacity to retain water due to paved-over infrastructure, unregulated urbanisation and polluted waterways. Chennai’s traditional water bodies, known as ‘tanks’, once held around 188 million m³ of water. Urbanisation since the early 1900s has reduced this capacity by about 7%. The remaining 93% is located mostly outside the city and is increasingly threatened by encroachment, pollution and poor maintenance. To reverse this trend, the Water Resources Department aims to triple the city’s storage capacity by 2050.

The City of 1,000 Tanks project, supported by Partners for Water, supports this goal by drawing on the city’s ancient water infrastructure. The project restores these systems and links them to new NBS such as infiltration fields, retention ponds and other green infrastructure. By capturing, filtering and slowly recharging water locally, the project tackles both water scarcity and excess. The approach is modular, scalable and rooted in local collaboration with schools, businesses and communities. Chennai shows that climate adaptation is not only about innovation, but also about reviving and revaluing traditional knowledge. Read more about City of 1000 Tanks.

Beira

Mozambique’s port city of Beira is on the front line of climate change. In 2019, it was devastated by Cyclone Idai, which damaged around 70% of the city’s housing stock. Two years later, Cyclone Eloise in 2021 left another 20,000 homes – roughly 17% – damaged or destroyed. Together, the two storms caused over USD 2.4 billion in losses. But rather than focusing solely on recovery, Beira is pursuing structural transformation. Through the Masterplan 2035, developed with support from Partners for Water, the city is investing in climate-resilient urban development: from improved drainage and wastewater treatment to coastal protection and stronger local governance.

Through public and private partnerships, Beira is building climate-resilient homes with minimal construction costs or rent-to-buy schemes. This makes safe housing accessible to residents for whom home ownership would otherwise be entirely out of reach. Simultaneously, the city is updating its municipal cadastre to improve property registration and enable the collection of property taxes. This is a long-term strategy, focused on system change in order to become a truly climate-resilient city. Read more about Beira’s system change approach.

Seven building blocks for a climate-resilient city

1.        Systems thinking and integrated approaches

Climate adaptation only works when water, infrastructure, public health and governance are seen as part of an interconnected system. It must be addressed across all spatial scales, from the pavement to the metropolitan region.

2.        Making space for water

When cities actively allocate space for water through buffers, temporary retention zones and natural systems, rainfall becomes a manageable design element. It can even become a resource for future droughts.

3.        Flexibility and adaptive capacity

A resilient city is flexible and evolves as the climate and associated risks change. This requires future scenarios, room for experimental development, phased planning, and the ability to adjust course when needed.

4.        Monitoring and data analysis

Digital tools and modelling software can help detect risks early and support an effective response. Data collection and management form the foundation for improved policy and governance.

5.        Participation and local ownership

Solutions only have lasting impact when they are supported by the local community. Local engagement ensures context-specific solutions and fosters long-term ownership.

6.        Collaboration and governance

Coordination between governments, public and private organisations, knowledge institutions and residents are crucial for implementation and lasting impact.

7.        Working with nature

By cooperating with the natural processes of vegetation, rivers or mangroves rather than trying to control them, cities can develop sustainable and flexible solutions that support both climate adaptation and urban liveability.

Partners for Water for climate-resilient cities

When we view cities as interconnected systems and choose to work with nature rather than against it, we can build urban environments that are more resilient, greener, and more liveable than ever before.

Partners for Water supports cities around the world in building climate resilience through an integrated, systems-based approach. We promote the use of NBS and advise cities on innovative and sustainable water management. In doing so, we not only address water security, but also biodiversity, food security and healthy living environments.

Our support spans strategic guidance, from policy advice and planning to capacity-building within local governments. We also fund and facilitate pilot and feasibility studies that test scalable, sustainable and innovative water solutions.

In 2001, four high-level government officials from Indonesia and the Netherlands gathered to sign the first bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Water. At that pivotal moment, Indonesia was facing pressing water-related challenges: widespread pollution, limited access to clean drinking water, frequent flooding and drought, and outdated infrastructure.

These issues threatened not only local water security but also the country’s food sovereignty and economic resilience. Through the MoU, both governments committed to work together on Indonesia’s water priorities and generate knowledge relevant to Dutch and Indonesian water challenges. More than a technical agreement, this MoU signified a shift towards equal diplomatic relations and mutual knowledge exchange. It laid the foundation for a decades-long partnership between the two nations.

The Dutch Water Sector in Indonesia

The current MoU on Water (2022 – 2027) serves as an umbrella for all Dutch co-funded bilateral water-related activities. It enables the Dutch water sector to contribute to Indonesia’s development priorities by applying its internationally recognised expertise and decades of experience in water infrastructure and management. Within this framework, the Partners for Water programme facilitates coordination, fosters collaboration, and connects actors in the Dutch water sector with relevant Indonesian counterparts. A high-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) provides strategic guidance and meets annually. The JSC is co-chaired by the Indonesian Secretary-General of Public Works and the Dutch Director-General for Water and Soil at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Dutch participation is facilitated via tenders, sector meetings and expert contributions to the JSC. Central to this engagement is building long-term relationships through knowledge exchange, capacity development and youth engagement.

Three Priorities

Within the bilateral cooperation, a strategic and programme-based approach is adopted to maximise effectiveness and impact. This approach centres on three priority themes, each supported by a dedicated working group and overseen by the JSC. The three themes are:

• Integrated Water Resilience in North Java
• Lowland Development for Irrigation
• Sharing Knowledge, Building Capacity, and Involving Youth

Integrated Water Resilience in North Java

Java’s northern coast is Indonesia’s economic and agricultural core, but it faces growing water challenges due to urbanisation, industry, and climate change. These pressures affect water availability and quality, while also increasing risks like land subsidence and flooding.

In response, the Indonesian government seeks integrated, future-proof solutions. Through the bilateral cooperation, Dutch and Indonesian partners are building water resilience by combining Nature-based Solutions with smart data technologies. This is done through collaboration with local stakeholders and capacity building, ensuring environmental and social values are embedded in each water solution.

The Netherlands contributes decades of experience in flood resilience, hydro-informatics, and coastal management to the collaboration. Along the North Java coastline, joint projects have developed practical, sustainable solutions – often in partnership with local actors and international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and Invest International. For the Dutch water sector, opportunities remain strong to support investments, offer innovative solutions, and engage in knowledge exchange.

Integrated Water Resilience in Semarang

In the city of Semarang, the Indonesian and Dutch water sectors collaborate on integrated solutions for land subsidence, flooding and water scarcity. Combining Nature-based Solutions with conventional infrastructure, the project demonstrates climate-resilient interventions that protect both people and ecosystems. Building upon the Water as Leverage programme, the project collaborates with local communities and authorities, and Dutch and Indonesian experts. It focuses on long-term spatial planning towards a climate-resilient Semarang by 2045 and illustrates how co-creation and inclusive design are key to integrated water resilience in North Java. Partners include One Architecture, Arcadis, Diponegoro University (UNDIP), PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of National Development Planning, the City of Semarang and Central Java Province.

Lowland Development for Irrigation

The vast lowlands and peatlands of Indonesia are essential to the country’s agricultural productivity and food sovereignty ambitions. However, these areas face complex water management challenges including flooding, acid sulphate soils, low fertility, and saline intrusion. Where peatlands have been drained for agriculture, challenges are compounded by land subsidence, fires, and carbon emissions, threatening productivity and ecological stability. Increasing lowland food productivity is a government priority. Therefore, Indonesia is implementing comprehensive rehabilitation strategies for tidal and non-tidal lowland areas through participatory irrigation management systems. These systems are built on five pillars: water supply reliability, infrastructure development, effective irrigation management, institutional frameworks, and human resource capacity.

The Netherlands and Indonesia have built a valuable partnership in lowland development and irrigation since the first MoU signing. This collaboration, mainly focused in South Sumatra and Kalimantan, has developed expertise in data collection, mapping, governance, and technical innovations. Currently, the collaboration focuses on enhancing productivity through improved water management in existing lowland areas. It offers the Dutch water sector opportunities to exchange knowledge and expertise, particularly through intergenerational knowledge transfer, and to provide monitoring and technical support for water management and infrastructure solutions.

Dadahup

In the degraded polder area of Dadahup, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian and Dutch experts have been working together since 2021 to rehabilitate 25,000 hectares of lowland agricultural land. The project began with a request from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing for a second opinion on water management and flood protection. Dutch expertise has supported the development of practical solutions tailored to the local context, such as a simplified system for dry and rainy seasons. The current phase focuses on human resource development through hands-on training and knowledge transfer. Partners include IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, The Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), the Netherlands Enterprise and Development Agency (RVO) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.

Sharing Knowledge, Building Capacity, and Involving Youth

The Dutch-Indonesian water partnership recognises that effective water management relies on long-term investment in people. Knowledge transfer is therefore a fundamental, cross-cutting pillar of the bilateral cooperation. This theme supports the work of the other working groups by ensuring continuity and future relevance through youth engagement and capacity building. A joint knowledge exchange programme is being implemented. This programme includes initiatives like the Dutch Training and Exchange Programme (DUTEP), Wave Indonesia, webinars with local institutions, and youth-oriented activities such as hackathons and field visits. Additionally, high-level events and missions highlight the partnership and foster connections between Dutch and Indonesian stakeholders.

Particular emphasis is placed on intergenerational exchange, enabling senior experts to pass on insights to the next generation of water professionals. For the Dutch water sector, this theme offers valuable opportunities to contribute by strategically leveraging the diverse networks built over years of partnership, and by embedding these exchanges into the formal MoU collaboration. This ensures that they are not isolated but connected and mutually reinforcing.

The Welang Watershed

The Welang Watershed project in East Java demonstrates integrated, community-driven water management through upstream conservation and downstream flood mitigation. Solutions are co-created with local communities, authorities and experts to ensure relevance and long-term impact. The project strengthens capacity by embedding knowledge exchange between Indonesian and Dutch partners, fostering local ownership and engaging with schools to raise youth awareness on waste and river health. Led by Witteveen+Bos, Nuffic Southeast Asia and AidEnvironment, the project facilitates collaborative knowledge exchange, capacity building and youth engagement.

Read more about the Welang project.

Looking Ahead

After over 25 years of fruitful collaboration – marked by diverse and impactful initiatives, strong partnerships, and lifelong professional friendships – the bilateral water cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands is in full swing. Looking two decades ahead, Indonesia aspires to become a resilient, high-income society and the world’s fifth-largest economy by 2045. Achieving this ambition will require addressing its urgent water challenges, opening up new opportunities to exchange innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions with the Dutch water sector.

The joint ambition is to strengthen mutual trust, secure future cooperation and ensure the Dutch water sector remains a relevant and valued partner for Indonesia. In the coming years, the bilateral cooperation will continue to focus on the current three key areas. Actors in the broader Dutch water sector – like knowledge institutions, NGOs and companies – are invited to engage in this cooperation. They can do so by applying for tenders or joining one of the many webinars, information sessions and networking events hosted by Partners for Water.

Is your organisation interested in co-creating a coordinated vision for water resilience in Semarang, Indonesia? Read about our call for market orientation.

The Welang River in East Java, Indonesia, is a crucial lifeline for nearby communities, providing water for daily use and supporting local agriculture. As cities expand and populations grow, however, the river has faced increasing challenges such as flooding, erosion and pollution. The Governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands, through its Partners for Water programme are investing in the Welang River Basin Transformation Project to tackle these challenges and protect both the river and the people who depend on it. This is the third article in the miniseries on the Welang River Basin project, highlighting the role of Nature-based Solutions for integrated water management.

During the rainy season, the Welang basin, specifically in Sidogiri and Welang Lama, experiences floods at least once a year. Notably during the recent rainy seasons in 2022 and 2023, floodwaters of up to one-meter caused the Welang Lama river to overflow, inundating several districts including the villages of Sukorejo and Karangketug. This disaster caused economic and infrastructural losses to affected people in this area.

In response to the recurring flooding issues, the Indonesian government, through the East Java Province, has partnered with the Netherlands government to implement the Welang River Basin Transformation Project. This initiative will be executed by a Netherlands-Indonesian consortium, consisting of Witteveen+Bos, Nuffic Southeast Asia and AidEnvironment. Sidogiri and Welang Lama were selected as pilot sites to address the flooding challenges. One of the project’s primary objectives is to design effective flood protection measures for these areas through a collaborative co-creation and design phase.

Collaborative co-creation (co-design) supports participatory design as a fundamental aspect of Sustainable Design Principles (SDPs). The co-design process involves active participation from local communities, landowners and government stakeholders, fostering inclusivity and ensuring that the final outcomes are tailored to the specific needs and contexts of those involved. The process is divided into four stages:

• Needs and Demands: this stage focuses on identifying the challenges and needs of the communities while understanding local environmental issues. To achieve this, the consortium, in partnership with students from Universitas Negeri Malang (UM), Universitas Brawijaya (UB) and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), conducted site visits along the Sumber Pinang and Welang Lama rivers. These visits included hydraulic modelling and flood assessments to gain a comprehensive understanding of the area’s vulnerabilities.
• Co-Creation of Solution: during this stage, technical expertise is combined with local knowledge to design effective interventions. Stakeholder workshops were organised, involving the consortium, the Department of Public Works and Water Resources, universities and local villagers. These sessions facilitated knowledge sharing and discussions, leading to the identification of potential structural and non-structural measures to address flooding.
• Complementing Solutions: Solutions were refined based on community feedback and further analysis. Conceptual designs were developed in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Water Resources, the consortium and the universities. These frameworks were then shared and discussed with villagers to ensure that the solutions reflected their needs and input.
• Validation and Implementation: The final stage involved evaluating the proposed solutions to ensure their effectiveness and alignment with institutional policies. Final outcomes were presented to the communities, outlining the next steps with an emphasis on transparency and trust-building.

By following these structured stages, the co-design process promotes inclusivity, knowledge sharing and community-driven solutions to effectively address local environmental and flooding challenges. Each phase employs distinct participatory design approaches to ensure that all parties are involved and can contribute based on their background and expertise. The following table outlines the co-design process, detailing each stage and the corresponding participatory design methods used:

Miniseries on the Welang River Basin project

This is the fourth article in the miniseries on the Welang River Basin project, highlighting the role of youth in sustainable waste management. Below you can find the links to other articles in the series:

Article 1: The role of trusted advisors
Article 2: Practical implementation of Nature-Based Solutions
Article 3: Empowering youth for sustainable waste mangement
Article 4: A participatory design approach

Miniseries on the Welang River Basin project

This is the third article in the miniseries on the Welang River Basin project, highlighting the role of youth in sustainable waste management. Below you can find the links to other articles in the series:

Article 1: The role of trusted advisors
Article 2: Practical implementation of Nature-Based Solutions
Article 3: Empowering youth for sustainable waste mangement
Article 4: A participatory design approach

Indonesia and the Netherlands share a deep-rooted history of cooperation in water management, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Water between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (MIW) in the Netherlands and Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works (PU). This Water MoU serves as the basis for bilateral collaboration. The Indonesian government has asked Ivo van der Linden on behalf of the Dutch government to structure and synergise the joint efforts between the two countries, particularly in water management.

Alongside Simon van Meijeren, Programme Advisor for the Partners for Water programme at RVO, van der Linden explains how they are working together with Indonesia, combining expertise and planning for the country’s water management challenges on multiple levels.

Priorities in a changing landscape

The Water MoU has been drafted to address Indonesia’s critical challenges: strengthening urban water resilience, protecting vital agricultural lands and achieving independent food security. It emphasises three interconnected focus areas: integrated water resilience for Northern Java, lowland development and irrigation and knowledge exchange focusing on engaging younger generations and preserving expertise. The Water MoU will analyse problems, develop solutions and embed them in national policies and frameworks, ensuring long-term impact through collaboration among governments, financial institutions and local communities.

Integrated water resilience for Northern Java

Coastal cities like Jakarta and Semarang face severe land subsidence, with areas sinking by 15 to 20 centimetres annually. “In Indonesia, the scale of subsidence is unparalleled compared to the Netherlands, where we see only a few centimetres each year,” Van der Linden points out. “Groundwater extraction,” says Van Meijeren, “leads to severe land subsidence and consequent flooding, so we need to look beyond quick fixes like draining water and instead map out the root causes and address them.”

This long-term approach is illustrated by a project in Semarang, where a team of experts supports the Indonesian government in preparing an integrated vision for what a resilient city could look like by 2045.

“Relationships are very important. Fortunately, we work with many champions,” says Van Meijeren, “who also support an integrated approach, going beyond mandates and short-term visions.”

The goal is to create integrated solutions that combine traditional engineering with Nature-based Solutions (NBS). Examples of this approach include projects such as Water as Leverage in Semarang and the integrated river basin management initiative in the Welang area. The Welang River project near Surabaya used a compartmentalised strategy, responding to challenges at upstream, midstream and downstream levels with targeted interventions like small dams and sediment traps to improve water retention and reduce sedimentation.

Integrated solutions: From policy to practice

Van der Linden says that to implement NBS in Indonesia, you must start from scratch. “Conventional methods for infrastructure development heavily rely on the use of concrete – so-called grey solutions. Nature-based Solutions, often referred to as green solutions, can be an alternative option. However, NBS cannot be applied anywhere, anytime and should be assessed case by case. Green where possible, grey where it should be. Together with the Indonesian authorities and the Asian Development Bank, we are looking into how a gradual shift can be made towards more hybrid construction. Achieving a ratio of 80% grey and 20% green would already be a great success.”

Seeking a balance between grey and green infrastructure is also central to President Prabowo’s ambition to construct a giant seawall along the North Coast of Java. In addition to infrastructure, this process also seeks to balance socio-economic and environmental impacts.

While these efforts show promise, there is political uncertainty, budget constraints and the entrenched reliance on conventional approaches that can all hinder progress. Van Meijeren reflects on the need for clear policy frameworks: “Applying NBS is not common practice and the ‘how to’ from a planning, governance and implementation perspective is still largely unclear. Without a metaphorical coat rack to hang these solutions on, it’s difficult to take steps towards implementation and long-term adaptation.”

Nevertheless, the first steps are underway, adapting to Indonesia’s pace, by introducing ideas that can make a lasting impact. In partnership with the Netherlands, Indonesia is exploring these pathways to implementation with support from the Asian Development Bank, which seeks to invest in environmentally sustainable projects and become the ‘climate bank’ of the region.

Water management and food security

Lowland development and irrigation are also important focuses for the collaboration, particularly as Indonesia seeks to boost agricultural productivity and achieve food independence. By optimising water management in existing lowland areas, farmers have the potential to increase “the crop per drop”. “The focus of the Water MoU isn’t just about technology,” says Van Meijeren. “It’s also about ensuring that younger Indonesians are equipped with practical knowledge on how to effectively maintain and operate water management systems in the lowlands. Currently this knowledge is held by older professionals – grey men, both in the Netherlands and in Indonesia”. To optimise agricultural production, you need good water management. That knowledge exchange is one of the pillars through which the RVO want to engage young people in these partnerships and give them a central role under the Water MoU. “We need to combine forces and look ahead to the future,” says Van der Linden.

Both Van Meijeren and Van der Linden emphasise that: “This is not just about helping Indonesia. It’s about working together to create solutions that bring mutual benefits to both countries in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time.”

Conclusion

The collaboration between the Netherlands and Indonesia aims to strengthen urban areas and vital agricultural lands, particularly in coastal regions such as Jakarta and Semarang, where subsidence and flooding pose significant threats. Enhanced water management in agricultural zones further contributes to improved food security by boosting higher productivity and reducing dependence on imports.

Key initiatives such as Water as Leverage, coastal protection in Jakarta and the integrated water management of the Welang River are setting the stage for a new way of tackling water-related challenges. These projects take a balanced approach, combining modern engineering with natural based approaches to protect communities and the environment.

In addition, efforts in lowland development and irrigation underscore the importance of intergenerational knowledge sharing – passing from older generations to younger ones, while also improving water management. These efforts are crucial for maintaining the health and productivity of critical agricultural areas for years to come.