The Government of Indonesia, in partnership with the East Java Province and the Government of the Netherlands, continues to collaborate on addressing water challenges in the Welang Watershed works in East Java, Indonesia. The project began in 2020, and is currently midway through its second phase.

By engaging in a co-creation process with communities, regional experts, and provincial and local governments, the project further details priority interventions for key water challenges in the catchment area. Here are some updates on the progress.

A multi-stakeholder approach

Rapid urban and economic development in the Welang Watershed has led to numerous water-related challenges. These include erosion on slopes, sedimentation in rivers, urban flooding, and water distribution issues. Given the involvement of many stakeholders in both the problems and their solutions, the project adopts a multi-stakeholder approach, guided by three key principles:

1. Achieving Practical Co-Creation Results: Ensuring solutions are compatible with the Indonesian water framework.
2. Creating Replicable Solutions: Developing solutions that can be implemented without substantial external support.
3. Mobilizing Local Resources: Fostering an environment where local resources are utilized for joint solutions.

These guiding principles are applied across both the upstream and mid-/downstream areas of the Welang River, allowing the project to tackle challenges from multiple perspectives and involve various sets of stakeholders.

Integrated focus across the catchment

Wonosari and Surorowo
In the upstream areas of the Welang River, the focus is on water resource conservation. This is achieved by introducing low-cost and low-tech soil and water conservation measures, such as gully plugs. These measures are designed to reduce runoff and soil erosion, and increase water infiltration. Project activities in the upstream areas center around the Wonosari tea plantation and the Surorowo sub-village.

At Wonosari, coordination with the tea plantation administration ensured strong support throughout the implementation phase. This collaboration resulted in the successful installation of 140 gully plugs. A month later, feedback from the tea plantation administrator confirmed that the plugs effectively mitigated runoff onto the streets after heavy rainfall.

To begin implementation in Surorowo, a collaboration agreement was needed between Perhutani, the concession permit holder, and the East Java Province, the project partner. Thanks to the strong commitment from both parties, the administrative process was completed much faster than usual. This efficiency allowed ground implementation to start in parallel, resulting in the completion of 18 gully plugs by April, with plans for more.

Community

The active involvement of the community in the construction process sparked enthusiasm among local people. Many expressed interest in replicating similar infrastructure on their own, empowered by the realization that these initiatives can be achieved with locally available materials. Pak Imam, the manager of the tea plantation, explained: “Yes, it works. Before we implemented these gully plugs, there was usually runoff after it rained, and we couldn’t pass the small roads in the plantation.”

Additionally, in collaboration with the University of Malang, the implemented measures are being monitored to collect baseline data on runoff volume, existing gullies, sedimentation, and infiltration rates.

Sidogiri / Welang Lama

In the downstream and midstream areas of the Welang River catchment, specifically in Sidogiri and Welang Lama, significant progress is being made to address frequent flooding issues affecting local communities. A key part of this effort involved workshops with local schools to raise awareness and encourage community participation in waste management, recognizing that waste blockages are a major cause of flooding. These initiatives emerged from the initial co-creation session where stakeholders identified waste management as crucial for flood mitigation.

Collaborations with Universitas Negeri Malang, Universitas Brawijaya, and ITS Surabaya have driven progress. Students conducted detailed field surveys to understand the dynamics of flooding. This data, combined with a hydraulic assessment by the project team, formed the foundation for a co-creation workshop where stakeholders reviewed and provided feedback on proposed flood mitigation measures. This inclusive approach ensures that solutions have community support and incorporate local knowledge, paving the way for lasting impact in managing the river basin’s challenges.

Strategic alignment with ongoing NL-funded projects

One of the goals of the Welang project is to integrate and align its activities with other initiatives in the East Java region to enhance capacity-building and promote local ownership. The Welang project has partnered with the OKP tailor-made training program, designed to equip civil servants in East Java Province with essential skills for cross-sectoral collaboration and addressing water management challenges.

Additionally, the project is exploring collaboration opportunities with the Brantas River basin project, which aims to improve wastewater management. In February and March, site visits to the Brantas River were conducted to gain insights from the Brantasae application, with the aim of integrating its features into the Welang project. Brantasae is a map-based application that collects public-uploaded data on water quality, waste generation, and overall river basin issues or initiatives. It serves as a data inventory platform to support river assessment and monitoring.

Background Information:
The Dutch-Indonesian Consortium embodies a collaborative and sustainable approach to addressing Indonesia’s water challenges.
The project is facilitated by the consortium comprising three key organizations: Witteveen + Bos, Nuffic Southeast Asia, and AidEnvironment.

• Witteveen + Bos: Leads overall project management and provides expertise in hydraulic modeling, alongside coordinating community waste management activities.
• Nuffic Southeast Asia: Ensures the integration of co-created solutions within institutions, engaging regional experts and students in the process.
• AidEnvironment: Facilitates community involvement and implements agricultural solutions focused on water conservation and erosion control.

Funded by Partners for Water

This project has been receiving funding by Partners for Water because we underpin the longstanding cooperation between the governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands on water management (MoU Water) and are dedicated to enhancing water security globally through enduring partnerships between local stakeholders and the Dutch water sector. By fostering knowledge exchange, promoting innovations, and advocating an integrated approach, we aim to contribute positively to water security for people, plants, and animals.

For further inquiries, please contact: Simon van Meijeren, Programme Advisor Partners for Water Indonesia.

The World Water Forum 2024 (WWF) is a wrap!
The largest international conference in the water sector took place from 18 to 25 May in Bali, Indonesia. Time for a recap of the exciting things that transpired at the Dutch Pavilion.

An important reason for attending the WWF Dutch pavilion was to help position the Netherlands as an expert on global water challenges providing innovative approaches and state-of-the-art solutions to improve water security. In order to achieve this, the pavilion was designed as an open, inclusive and inventive space to make finding new (or strengthening existing) local and international partnerships easy.

The pavilion boasted an extensive programme with three main themes: ‘Water for resilient cities and deltas’, ‘Water for food and energy’ and ‘Clean and safe water for all’. These were some of the highlights from an exciting week at WWF:

Start of a wave

The week kicked off with a bang with the launch of the ‘Indonesian Wave’, part of Wavemakers United. ‘A youth-led intergenerational network that connects initiatives, merges resources and enables collaboration. All the while adapting to local contexts to achieve the Water Action Agenda goal of educating one million children per year.’ explained Sabrina Farah Salsabilla, Chief Marketing Officer at ReservoAir.

Founder of Wavemakers United Tilly Stroo signed a Letter of Intent with the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing and Wavemakers United to collaborate under the Centre of Excellence for Water and Climate Resilience. ‘Signing this at such a significant platform as the WWF, Indonesia and the Netherlands are demonstrating their continued investment in youth participation. Not just during WWF’s but into the future as well.’

Water envoy in the house

Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Meike van Ginneken also attended the WWF: ‘At the UN Water Conference in New York in 2023, we agreed to more than 800 water actions. Today, the Water Action Agenda is in full swing with Dutch companies, NGOs and the government participating in many of those actions at the community, local and national levels.

‘I want to congratulate the Indonesian government on bringing together the whole water world here at WWF. It has been a great opportunity to celebrate our long-standing and productive bilateral cooperation with Indonesia.’

A Matter of Perseverance

On the second day of the WWF, we – Partners for Water – hosted a session in collaboration with Water as Leverage. This programme brings together cities, designers, engineers, and financiers to enhance urban resilience to climate change. The goal of this session was to discuss bilateral collaboration with our seven partner countries regarding inclusive delta development.

As improving water security requires perseverance, we consider long-term partnerships with our partner countries to be essential. Amongst other things, we discussed how we can enhance the current approach and how to engage local partners effectively. We also shared insights gained from projects undertaken in our partner countries.

Launch of inaugural report

An exciting event that occurred at the Dutch pavilion was the launch of the first International Panel on Deltas and Coastal Areas (IPDC) report. The report was produced through a collaborative effort and sets out the climate adaptation strategies, processes, and challenges of each IPDC member country. Meike van Ginneken presented the first copies to two esteemed IDPC-members, Indonesia’s Pak Leo Eliasta and Egypt’s Mr. Walid Hakiki.

A special visitor

On the last day of presentations at the WWF, a very special person visited the Dutch Pavilion. Minister Basuki Hadimuljono of Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing stopped by.

‘I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the Minister about the relationship between Indonesia and The Netherlands, particularly focusing on the water sector. I believe this relationship will always be strong, equal and beneficial’, said Nishchal Sardjoe, Senior Water Management specialist at Deltares Indonesia

Thank you

Partners for Water would like to thank all the companies, NGO’s, governments, knowledge institutions and visitors who came and participated at our pavilion. We trust you had a fruitful WWF and hope to see you soon.

A special thanks to everyone who hosted a session at the Netherlands Pavilion 2024:
Bandung Technische Hoogeschool Fonds (BTHF), BESE BV, Danone, Deltares Netherlands, EcoShape Consortium, International Panel on Deltas, Coasts and Islands (IPDC), MetaMeta, Nazava Indonesia, NX Filtration, Partners for Water, Royal HaskoningDHV, UN-Habitat, Simavi, The International Centre for Water Cooperation (ICWC), SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Valuing Water Initiative (VWI), Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors, WaterWorX (VEI, WereldWaternet and Oasen), Water as Leverage, Water Footprint Implementation, Wavemakers United/Nuffic/The Water Agency, Wetskills Foundation, Yayasan Plan International Indonesia

A glimpse of the NL Pavilion during the World Water Forum 2024

Liliane Geerling – Programme Coordinator, Partners for Water

‘At the WWF, we will present the Netherlands as a “Centre of Excellence with a shared pavilion where we showcase our broad expertise and knowledge related to water security. Partners for Water serves as host, but there are many other organisations involved, such as the Dutch embassy, Dutch companies and several Indonesian organisations. We feel that by attending the WWF we will benefit greatly because it will bring together so many stakeholders including; governments, multilateral institutions, academia and businesses.’

Enhancing cooperation

‘The pavilion will offer a comprehensive programme with lots of opportunities for interaction and in-depth sessions. For example, we are organising some sessions around the theme “Status and trends in global water cooperation”, where we will discuss what makes water cooperation work, how we can enhance bilateral cooperation and which role the international multilateral system should play. Another example is a presentation by the Ecoshape consortium about their research into Nature-based Solutions for increased water resilience in South-East Asia.’

‘At this year’s WWF, there will be many young water enthusiasts attending which is a great idea as after all they’re the future of the water sector. This is why we involved them in the run up to the event and it will continue to engage with them during and afterwards. One of the “youth activities” at the forum is a “pressure cooker challenge” (Raincarft Bali). Young professionals must come up with solutions to specific water challenges on the spot and then present them. I will be part of the jury and am very curious to hear what they come up with.’

Water action agenda

‘For me the WFF will be successful if, through our pavilion, we can spark discussions on how to advance innovative water solutions and how we can make these inclusive to all. Following that, I hope we can share knowledge and approaches towards water security for all. I also hope we can build upon the Water Action Agenda, which was launched at the UN Water Conference in New York in 2023. Since then, we’ve taken the lead on further developing this agenda and we hope to continue this in Bali. There is plenty of overlap between the action agenda and the themes of the WWF so I’m confident we will manage this.’

Ivo van der Linden – Delegated Representative, Indonesia

‘The fact that this year’s World Water Forum (WWF) is taking place in Bali is special for the Netherlands, due to our long-standing relationship with Indonesia. This collaboration was formalised in 2007 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but we have been working together for much longer. We do this in an integrated, inclusive, sustainable and equal manner. We want to commend Indonesia for hosting this WWF and applaud their leadership role in addressing global water and climate challenges. We will help them out wherever we can, to ensure this edition is a memorable one.’

‘Indonesia is developing rapidly and we have ambitious goals regarding our collaboration. This includes new ways of working, where we work together to create an agenda and activities. As we’re both delta countries, we face common challenges such as coastal erosion and rising sea levels. We’re not only partners on water issues, but we also collaborate on other topics too, like renewable energy, sustainable cities and agriculture innovation. But water is an important driver for our broader collaboration.’

Shared knowledge agenda

As we knew that this year’s WWF would be hosted in Bali, we’ve been working together with the Indonesian Government to organise several joint activities. One aspect of this is giving young people a greater platform, as Liliane already explained. In addition to that, we also created a shared “knowledge agenda” for the event, which will culminate in two panel sessions that we’re jointly moderating. In one of them we will discuss small islands development and how we can help mitigate the water problems they face, like a lack of fresh water or climate change-related challenges.’

In the coming years, we will continue investing in our relationship with Indonesia through enhanced dialogue and aligning policy agendas. Part of that process includes evaluating our past collaboration and discussing how we can further improve it. During these sessions, we also include other partners such as the Asian Development Bank as they can use their funding programmes to help turn ideas and plans into concrete, actionable projects.

For more information about the Netherlands Pavilion programme, visit the event page.

Or, directly download the programme!

Bali Youth Plan

Through the Bali Youth Plan, David actively participates in discussions and sessions that focus on political, thematic, or regional issues. This involvement aims to engage youth as equal partners in all aspects of the WWF, emphasizing their role as equal stakeholders. The 60-member youth team is essential in bringing the youth perspective into the broader conversation about water management.

Netherlands Pavilion at the Bali World Water Forum

At the Netherlands pavilion, organised by Partners for Water, David will lead a session together with colleagues from the RVO’s ‘Reversing the Flow’ programme. This session will focus on knowledge sharing and best practices on locally-led adaptation. “These sessions are key for passing on knowledge we hold and learning from others at the same time,” David explains. The Netherlands, which has a significant international role in water management, doesn’t have all the answers. A good example of this is the recent funding awarded for a Dutch-Indian knowledge exchange and research project. This funding will help our country learn more about citizen participation in early warning for floods and drought, while India can gain from Dutch expertise in riverine measurements.

Impact is made together

“Impact is only achieved through collaboration,” David says. “This is where MetaMeta excels, and it aligns perfectly with my vision for the forum.” Collaboration is vital, especially in water management where global challenges require solutions that cross borders. It’s about working together on themes and with people. The past few years, I’ve noticed increasing connections between water, nature, and food. For example, I co-organised an event with IAAS and MetaMeta, alongside the Islamic Development Bank, at last year’s United Nations Water Conference. We discussed the complex relation between water, food, energy, and ecosystems in the MENA region. Although this kind of collaboration is essential and makes sense, the complexity can sometimes slow down action. We must all stay alert to ensure that it doesn’t.

Agents of change

David’s approach is practical and aimed at achieving clear results. “I aim to bring back new contacts, ideas, and partnerships that can help us make an impact on a larger scale,” he explains. The youth plan operates under the motto ‘to position young people as agents of change and inspire more youth to take action for water.’ This approach calls for a broad perspective while maintaining a focus on action-oriented behavior. “If we can take even a small, concrete step toward achieving global water goals at Bali, I’ll be very satisfied.”

World Water Forum expectations

With ‘Water for Shared Prosperity’ as its theme, the World Water Forum offers a vital space for important conversations about the future of water. “It’s not only about your own knowledge sharing but also about listening to others and forming connections,” David notes. “I’m excited to discover the range of ideas and approaches that the forum will bring, which will also help me look beyond my own water bubble.”

With the Netherlands pavilion from Partners for Water and youth representation by David, the World Water Forum will have a substantial delegation from the Netherlands. Stay tuned to our website for the latest updates from the WWF.

With passion and enthusiasm, the results of bilateral collaborations between Indonesia and the Netherlands where shared with 52 participants from the Dutch and Indonesian water sector on Wednesday 14 December. Partners for Water, EcoShape, Invest International and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta elaborated about successful projects of 2022 and gave a sneak preview of what is to come in 2023. One thing was clear, all the parties are looking forward to increasing their impact in Indonesia.

Nature Based Solutions in Sidoarjo

The Indonesian government has requested support from the Government of the Netherlands for the improvement of the regional aquaculture sector in Sidoarjo in East Java, whilst strengthening coastal sediment management and the conservation of the mangrove system. The Partners for Water programme has assigned a scoping project to Ecoshape, and in the beginning of December, a team of experts in Building with Nature visited Sidoarjo.

The past 7 years, EcoShape has been actively working on restoring the eroding mangrove coast in Demak with Nature Based Solutions. This has been co-funded by Fund Sustainable Water (RVO). Now EcoShape can translate the lessons learned in Demak to Sidoarjo and potentially integrate solutions to improve the aquaculture and environmental issues in the region. One of the aims of the scoping assignment is to share the knowledge and results with the Dutch and international water sector. A dissemination webinar will be planned in Q1 of 2023.

Asia Water

Robin van Boxtel, First Secretary at the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, elaborated about the trade mission ‘ASIAWATER 2022’ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was organised by the Dutch Embassies of the ASEAN countries, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP). The Dutch Embassy presented the current water cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia and 10 Dutch companies from the water sector where part of the expo. Van Boxtel ended with the announcement of more events to be held in the coming years and the representation of the ASEAN countries at Aquatech Amsterdam in 2023.

Semarang Urban Flood Resilience

Jeroen Bakker from Invest International talked about the Semarang Urban Flood Resilience project. To support the City of Semarang in becoming more flood resilience, Invest International has provided 1 million Euro coming from the Develop2Build Dutch Government to Government grant. This money will be used to conduct studies and design and select infrastructure measures to improve Semarang’s climate resilience by reducing the incidence and frequency of floods. Once the research is conducted and the interventions are selected, the project will be handed over to Indonesian project owners who will finance and procure the interventions. The kick-off of this exciting project will be in January 2023!

Finally, Partners for Water gave a warm goodbye to Rien Dam, who has been the Delegated Representative Water in Jakarta and an appreciated contributor to the bilateral collaborations between the Indonesian and Dutch water sector.

The different water parties are looking forward to continuing sharing their knowledge and expertise in the coming year. As Rien Dam said: “The Indonesian – Dutch relationship of the water sector has been long and will be continued for a long time. “

Joint Working Groups

Three JWGs have been tasked with formulating a joint vision and ambition on which the Netherlands and Indonesia will collaborate in the coming years, and to make this ambition tangible in concrete initiatives. Started in October 2024, the JWGs consist of Dutch and Indonesian counterparts who each explored one of the three aspects of the cooperation:

• JWG 1: Integrated Water Resilience, from North Java to enlighten other priority developments.
• JWG 2: Lowland Development and Irrigation.
• JWG 3: Capacity development, Knowledge exchange and Youth engagement.

You are invited!

The JWGs prove to be an effective instrument to exchange ideas with the Indonesian counterparts and to define priority initiatives for the coming years. To share and discuss the initial results and gain further insights from the water sector on these themes, we’d like to invite you to participate in our online exchange session.

Through this online exchange session, you will be informed on the progress and intermittent outcomes, and have the chance to share your knowlegde and inform us on relevant tools available within the sector that can contribute to the regarded themes. Additionally, you will be invited to join us on a regular basis in dedicated brainstorm sessions for each working group.

The online exchange session

The online session will be held on 8 May, 10.00 AM – 11.30 AM (CET). During the session, there will be a plenary introduction to the working group process, followed by breakout groups where you will take a deep dive into the specific outcomes of the working group of your choice.

Want to join? Apply for the event through this form and subscribe to a specific deep dive session. We are looking forward to meeting you on 8 May.

Deep dive sessions

As JWG 3 primarily seeks to contribute in the field of Integrated Water Resilience (JWG 1) and Lowland Development and Irrigation (JWG 2), you are invited to participate in one of the following two deep dive sessions:

Integrated Water Resilience
Urban centers across North Java inhabit a complex interplay of economic development, population increase and resulting natural resource pressures, like high groundwater abstraction, high land subsidence rates, frequent floods and coastal erosion, among others. This deep dive explores the JWGs efforts to identify and further concretize the areas of mutual interest between the Netherlands and Indonesia, among which Nature-based Solutions, urban water resilience, water governance and social inclusion. The deep dive explores what a more holistic approach on regional water management could bring to this complex interplay, and how to build upon existing cooperation and knowledge in North Java.

Lowland development and Irrigation
Lowland areas play a central role in the efforts of Indonesia to reach food independence. Facing major production gaps in the near future, the demand for improving productivity of existing lowlands is high. In reaching these efforts, Indonesia aims for a food system transformation towards an ‘eco-region’ that is sustainable, healthy and resilient, and based on local resources. For years, the Dutch – Indonesian collaboration has provided strategic guidance on lowland areas through programmes like EMRP (2007-2008), WACLIMAD (2010-2012) and QANS (2012-2014). This deep dive will highlight potential areas to continue the collaboration on lowland areas and asks for your participation in defining the unique Dutch selling points in this field.

What’s happening now and what’s next for Dutch-Indonesian water cooperation? Hosted by Partners for Water, over fifty professionals came together on 26 October during the Dutch-Indonesian Platform Meeting in The Hague.

Attendees, consisting of individuals from knowledge institutions, private-, governmental- and non-governmental organisations, exchanged their ambitions, priorities and opportunities for water initiatives between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Discover their main take-aways.

“What are your aspirations for the Dutch water sector in Indonesia?” asks Lisa Hartog, Delta Coordinator for Indonesia at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management while kicking off the Indonesian platform meeting. With enthusiasm she goes on saying, “Today’s focus is to connect, explore and strengthen the long-term collaboration between the two countries in the water sector.”

She invites the participants to brainstorm on their ambitions, lessons learned and opportunities during engaging breakout sessions. These brainstorm sessions are part of a broader study aimed at identifying the sector’s prospects in Indonesia and explore the best ways the Dutch government can assist in this. The room quickly divides into four groups, with participants actively joining in on lively discussions.

© Feike Faase Fotografie

“What I took away from today is that understanding the local culture might be more key to implementing water solutions than knowing the relevant technologies.” – participant brainstorm

Current projects in Indonesia

To explore the current role of the Dutch water sector in Indonesia, various ongoing projects are highlighted. Simon Van Meijeren, from Partners for Water, along with Trang Vu and Bas van Maren – both working for the Dutch consortium Ecoshape, discuss recent initiatives in Indonesia, funded by Partners for Water. “It is crucial to adopt an integrated view of the water problems in Indonesia,” van Meijeren states. “We try to do this through high-level strategic dialogues, co-creating solutions with local communities and improving inter-agency collaborations.” Vu and van Maren wholeheartedly concur. As the audience listens intently, they eagerly share their insights from a scoping mission in Sidoarjo, led by the Ecoshape consortium.

© Feike Faase Fotografie

The scoping mission’s objective was to assess the potential of implementing Nature-based Solutions (NBS) to enhance local aquaculture. Van Maren elaborates: “Initially, the focus was on milkfish- and shrimp yield and water quality, but it became clear that regional degradation of the physical system was a significant aspect of the problem.” Vu continues, “While various NBS appear feasible from a physical standpoint, their economic viability remains to be explored.” The Ecoshape consortium aims to integrate the lessons learned from this mission into future NBS project designs.

Curious to discover the results, lessons learned and recommended solutions? Find all the details in the scoping mission’s report provided below this article.

Young professionals

Delving further into Sidoarjo, two young professionals recount their former study experiences in this Indonesian coastal city. Joey de Hamer, currently with the Netherlands Red Cross, elaborates about his thesis study on the social impacts of the Sidoarjo mud volcano. This volcano has spewed hot mud continuously since 2006, displacing tens of thousands of residents and causing significant environmental and infrastructural damage. De Hamer comments, “While the ecological impacts of the mud volcano were broadly recognised, I found it enlightening to learn about the experiences and challenges faced by the nearby residents.”

© Feike Faase Fotografie

Meanwhile, Ardiyanti Cahyan, currently at Boskalis, shares her past internship which focused on water management at the Port of Teluk Lamong. Cahyan remarkes, “Being on-site allowed me to truly connect with and better understand the local issues.” Her take-home message? The importance of experiencing the local context for a more profound understanding of the problems at hand.

Change takes time

Straight after his arrival for a work visit to the Netherlands, Adriaan Palm, Deputy Head of Mission at the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia, succinctly summarises the event: “I think we all agree on the significance of engaging the local community to ensure project sustainability. Additionally, I’d like to recognise the value of collaborating with students and emerging professionals. And lastly, change is a gradual process. So, I encourage you to give yourself that time.” As the attendees shift towards the facilitated networking lunch, fresh perspectives and emerging ideas on today’s themes echo amid the lively chatter. While change may take time, the attendees sure don’t waste it.

Keen to keep the conversation going? You are invited to share your thoughts, ambitions or anything else you’d like to discuss with our core team working on the bilateral water cooperation with Indonesia. You can find the team’s contact details in the sidebar.

Results, lessons learned and recommended solutions

• Ecoshape_SidoarjoScopingResults
• Ecoshape_Scopingmission_Sidoarjo_FINAL
• Platformmeeting Indonesia_general slides and information

Results of the study of the ambitions of the Dutch water sector within Indonesia

Below you can find an infographic that highlights the key outcomes of the study that investigated the ambitions of the Dutch water sector within Indonesia. The study consisted of an online questionnaire complemented by focus group interviews conducted at the annual Indonesian Platform meeting in October 2023. The study was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

If you have any questions regarding the outcomes of the survey you can contact Simon van Meijeren: simon.vanmeijeren@rvo.nl

 Apply for the Partners for Water subsidy scheme

Do you have an innovative technology, methodology or prototype in the field of water management? And would you like to use your knowledge, expertise and ingenuity to enhance water security in Indonesia? Apply for the Partners for Water subsidy scheme!

The scheme is applicable to innovations in the field of WASH, water quality and availability, climate adaptation, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and water infrastructure.

The following subsidy round opens in July. Apply for the mandatory intake interview now.

Ivo van der Linden has recently joined Partners for Water

He’s not completely new, however, as he was a ‘Rijkstrainee’ (government intern) with PfW in 2008 and served as coordinator for Indonesia for the Netherlands Water Partnership from 2011-2017. Now he will be the Delegated Representative (DR) for Indonesia. He invites anyone interested in the Dutch – Indonesian water cooperation to get in touch with him to talk about opportunities. But first, we will learn a little bit more about him. Welcome to the team, Ivo!

‘I visited Indonesia for the first time back in 2008. As a “Rijkstrainee” (government intern) at PfW, I was stationed at the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, supporting a mission for a Dutch minister and her delegation that were visiting Indonesia. I was also involved in the Dutch support for Jakarta’s flood management, which is now known as “National Capital Integrated Coastal Development”.’ After working for seven years as the Indonesian liaison for the Netherlands Water Partnership, Ivo chose to pursue a different career path in order to broaden his knowledge and skills: ‘That’s why I made the move to the Dutch public transport team at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W). For the past six years as Senior Policy Advisor I was involved in developing the railway system in The Netherlands and cross borders.’

Hybrid role

Now Ivo has taken off with his family to Jakarta for a new adventure as the Delegated Representative (DR) for Indonesia. ‘For three years, I will be formally stationed with the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing. My roll will be a hybrid one meaning that I’m with the Indonesian Ministry, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Waterworks (I&W) and the Dutch embassy. This way I’m in the best position to guide the collaboration between relevant governments, companies and other stakeholders involved.’

‘In the last three years I’ve developed a strong network within the Netherlands Ministry of I&W and gained experience in both strategic and political consulting. In addition, I’ve made frequent short and long trips to Indonesia working on various water related projects. I believe these two experiences have prepared me for the role of DR Water Indonesia and will help me to accelerate the strategic, tactical- and operational water cooperation between the two countries.’

Diversity in solutions

In his time as DR, Ivo wants to work hard in matching the Dutch water expertise to specific challenges that Indonesia faces. ‘We need to identify what our strengths are and only suggest using them if we believe they will further benefit Indonesia. To do so, we need to look at the broad spectrum of our sector. The solutions available are very diverse and are coming from newcomers with innovative ideas. That is why we need to involve the young, bright Indonesian and Dutch professionals of tomorrow.’

‘Based on my experiences in flood management in Jakarta, I will track the challenges and opportunities for the Dutch Water sector for both the development of Nusuntara in Kalimantan province, which is going to be the new capital of Indonesia and Jakarta, the current capital. The plan is to make Nusuntara green and ‘smart’ – a great idea that will also come with big challenges. Opportunities for our sector exist, such as in climate adaptation and sustainable water management. In my role, what is important for me is that I carry out my responsibilities in a way that fits the sector and its stakeholders. That is why I’m sending out an open invitation to get in touch with me. I hope to speak to you soon!’

From Zeeland to Yemen

After completing his studies in International Land and Water Management, Simon spent six years working at Acacia Water, a small consulting firm that develops sustainable solutions for water-related issues around the world. Their projects cover a wide range of topics and areas, from groundwater to surface water and from Zeeland to Yemen. Simon began as a technician and has since become an advisor focusing on irrigation and integrated water management. He is now looking forward to applying his knowledge and skills to his new role as a Partners for Water’s Programme Advisor for Indonesia.

Systems approach

‘During the last 1.5 years at Acacia, I provided the German Development Bank (KfW) with technical and strategic advice on their water portfolio in Yemen and Palestinian territories. I learned the importance of a well-formulated and technically sound framework in which projects can be executed, and also what the impacts are when this is not the case. Often the framework does not match the reality on the ground or provides limited guidance for effective project execution, hampering the overall impact and sustainability. I also discovered that the success of a project heavily depends on the engagement of local actors and their expertise.’ Simon aims to integrate these insights into his work at Partners for Water by fostering a systems approach and emphasising the importance of engaging with local actors.

Social Inclusion

‘One important lesson that I have learned is that a technical solution is not necessarily a silver bullet. A technology’s success is over 50% dependent on its ability to adapt to the social context and local traditions. For instance, a project proposal in Ethiopia aimed at increasing water use efficiency for small farmers proposed to introduce drip irrigation systems. However, it appeared that previous drip irrigation projects had failed. A lack of technical know-how and absence of farmer support left farmers using the drip lines to tie up their tomato plants. In order to avoid repeating the same failure, we investigated the reasons for farmers to use their water more efficiently and tried to find alternative technologies that matched their rationales. As a result, we choose to optimise the existing irrigation technique, rather than switching to a new technology. I learned that a successful project should involve key stakeholders in project design. Find a solution that is close to them, meets their needs and aligns with their practices. This applies as much to farmers in Ethiopia as to those in Zeeland, or any other region where a project is being implemented.’

A journey of discovery

‘In the coming years, I believe I will learn a lot from government collaborations, diplomacy and political relationships. I’m also very interested in the social aspect and cultural differences that I will encounter. Understanding these differences can offer valuable insights into why people do certain things and why things happen as they do. In addition, I am looking forward to sharing my technical background and knowledge of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) with my colleagues and the various subsidy-receiving parties. My first destination? Indonesia.’ Next week, Simon will board a plane to Java for a two-week working visit. ‘It will be a great journey of discovery in the months to come!’