The Welang River in East Java, Indonesia, is a vital resource for the nearby communities providing water for daily use and supporting local agriculture. However, as cities expand and populations grow, the river has faced increasing problems such as flooding, erosion and pollution. In response, the Governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands, through its Partners for Water programme have initiated the Welang River Basin Transformation Project to tackle these challenges and protect both the river and the people who depend on it.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognized as an essential strategy to address water and erosion challenges in watersheds. These solutions harness natural resources to tackle various water and soil issues. In areas where traditional infrastructure may be expensive, NbS offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative that is easily replicable by local governments and communities.

In the upstream area of Welang Watershed, East Java, Indonesia, the NbS approach was applied through co-construction with the local community by employing a 3R methodology (retention, recharge, and reuse of water) through creation of simple gully plugs. These structures made from locally available materials like bamboo, stones and branches, serve to collect and temporarily store water during high rainfall flows, retain sediments and materials washed into the channel, and slow down small, concentrated flows.

Utilizing natural materials available in the area as gully plugs (left: bamboo, right: stone)

1. In Surorowo, the upstream area of Welang on the side of Mount Bromo, the project marked the communities’ first experience participating in an international project. Village officials played an important role in encouraging broad community participation. Two Focus Group Discussions involving various stakeholders were held to explain the value of the project and the interventions, to build trust and gain commitment of the community. Over two months of activities, at least 28 different gully plugs and gabions were installed on community land and initiated directly by the community.
2. The project location in Wonosari, the upstream area of Welang on the side of Mount Arjuno, is directly managed by the Wonosari Tea Plantation, making it easier to mobilize and cooperate with the workers. In just 12 working days, a total of 145 simple gully plugs made of stones, tree branches, and bamboo of various sizes were constructed.

Stakeholders involvement in demonstration activities

Institutional support
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sustainable water resources management in East Java was signed between the East Java Provincial Natural Resources and Public Works Agency (PUSDA), the government implementing agency of the project, and Perhutani, a state-owned enterprise managing the implementation site. This ensured stakeholder alignment and paved the way for replicating NbS across the province.

Monitoring and evaluation
Once implemented, effective monitoring becomes essential for tracking the progress of the installed structures and demonstrating their effectiveness. Field observations conducted by the State University of Malang assess the condition of the gully plug installations, their impact on sediment capture, erosion control, and soil stability. These insights help identify the most effective structure types, ensuring informed recommendations for future implementations.

The monitoring showed that series of gully plugs made sequentially following the channel from upstream to downstream are effective in retaining heavy water discharge and capturing sediment. On average, a 10-20 cm thick layer of sediment was found behind the installed gully plug structures, with the greatest accumulation of sediment occurring behind gully plugs with bamboo barricades filled with soil or grass and dense shrubs.
The other type of gully plug made of branches, was observed to have grown densely, providing a natural barrier to the heavy water discharge and sediment flowing along the channel.

Recommendation for replication
For replication, bamboo gully plugs and branch-made gully plugs are identified as the most effective, affordable, and easy-to-implement structures. These options are chosen based on their proven ability to capture sediment, ease of installation, support for vegetation growth, and the accessibility of materials, making them suitable for small-scale community implementation across diverse land uses.
On the other hand, gully plugs made from stone or even gabions tend to be more difficult for communities to implement without assistance from the government or third parties in procuring materials, but are structurally more robust and durable.

Miniseries on the Welang River Basin project

This is the second 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

The Welang River in East Java, Indonesia, is a vital resource for the nearby communities providing water for daily use and supporting local agriculture. However, as cities expand and populations grow, the river has faced increasing problems such as flooding, erosion and pollution. In response, the Governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands, through its Partners for Water programme have initiated the Welang River Basin Transformation Project to tackle these challenges and protect both the river and the people who depend on it.

The Welang River in East Java, Indonesia, is a lifeline for the people who live nearby, providing water for daily use and supporting local agriculture. However, as cities expand and populations grow, the river has faced increasing problems such as flooding, erosion, and pollution. In response, the Governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands invest in the Welang River Basin Transformation Project to tackle these challenges and protect both the river and the people who depend on it.

The project is built around a central idea: collaboration. Local communities, government officials, and environmental experts are all working together to develop smart water management solutions that address the river’s problems. What makes this project unique is its focus on local ownership by involving everyone in the process, ensuring that solutions are created by listening to the needs and ideas of the people who live near the river.

The Welang River Project adopts a collaborative, step-by-step approach to co-create practical and sustainable solutions that meet community needs. It begins by engaging with local residents to understand their issues, such as flooding or limited access to clean water. With these insights, local residents, government officials, and experts work together to develop solutions. After initial testing, community feedback is used to refine these ideas, enhancing their effectiveness. The final, improved solutions are then implemented in coordination with government plans to ensure they can be scaled for broader impact.

Miniseries on the Welang River Basin project

This is the first 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

How do we address Southern Africa’s increasing water security challenges?

One effective approach is to develop a water availability and demand decision-making tool designed by users for users. The GLOW consortium – Global Water Availability Forecasting Service – has been diligently working on such an instrument. Matthew Damons, Water and Environmental Scientist at Emanti Management, shares his thoughts about the collaboration between the two partners. Their key to success? “Open dialogue with their cross-border partners and stakeholders.”

From his office in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Matthew Damons calls in to discuss the key components of the successful collaboration within the GLOW project, which is funded by Partners for Water. Matthew is an environmental and water scientist at consortium partner Emanti. This water and environmental engineering company specialises in managing the risk and vulnerability aspects of water, sanitation and health.

“Together with our Dutch partners Hydrologic and FutureWater, we’ve established a synergistic collaboration in which the partners combine their strengths,” says Matthew. “Our aim? To develop an operational service that provides timely and easy access to water availability and demand forecasts for South Africa’s, Eswatini’s and Mozambique’s resource systems.”

Consortium partners’ roles

As a local partner, Emanti’s role is to support the user and system requirement analysis by engaging with stakeholders to understand their needs for the GLOW system. Emanti also disseminates knowledge to end users through user groups, focused sessions and training modalities. FutureWater is responsible for the models behind the forecasts, while HydroLogic specialises in providing decision support services for water managers through HydroNET, an open platform that translates massive amounts of data into usable information for water managers.

Bridging the distance

“Working over long distances can be challenging sometimes,” says Matthew. “With Eswatini being in Southern Africa, and our two partners located in the Netherlands, our collaboration efforts are a work in progress, requiring continuous effort and nurturing.” He explains that they ensure active and regular online engagement among the GLOW consortium. “At the beginning of our collaboration, we made a conscious decision to establish open dialogues. This means that we can always contact our partners with questions or ask for advice if we feel stuck. This intention created a ‘safe space’ to ask for help when necessary and, in a way, bridges the distance. I believe this is one of the key components that is making our collaboration a success!”

Stakeholder engagement

The partners not only create a ‘safe space’ to address questions within their consortium but also during their stakeholder engagement. “Our key stakeholders include various water authorities in Eswatini, Mozambique and South Africa,” says Matthew. “We want to know their opinions, and their pains and gains when using the system, because in the end, they are the ones that will have to use the system to support them in making water management decisions. We truly aim to develop the GLOW system for users, by users. We have done this through a co-creation process with the stakeholders in which they can indicate their needs and desires for the system.”

“We try to build a relationship with the stakeholders, because we’ve experienced that the more our stakeholders trust us, the more comfortable they feel with providing input and sharing their opinions. We also felt that the more we cooperate and work with them and their data, the more their interest has grown. This resulted in them welcoming the development of the system and indicating the importance of the GLOW system within their water resources planning.”

The power of collaboration

“One of our stakeholder sessions in Mozambique got delayed for several months due to the cyclone season. It required the stakeholders to be on the ground to deal with the damage caused. Although it was a big setback, it also showed the power of collaboration,” Matthew notes. He explains: “Our partners had other ongoing projects with our Mozambican stakeholders, which made it easy to stay in constant communication with them. Eventually, we even secured a new stakeholder meeting via another partnership in which our partners are involved, the Blue Deal Mozambique (Dutch Waterboard cooperation programme). The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Waterworks exchanged knowledge in a water-related event in Mozambique and allowed us to participate in one of the workshops to discuss how to start our interaction with the end users in Mozambique. It showed us how valuable it is to build relationships with local and international partners, and to have access to their network as well.”

How to make aquaculture more sustainable and efficient?  In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta efforts towards establishing a nature-based filtration system to make aquaculture more sustainable and efficient are progressing. Two Dutch companies and one Vietnamese company have joined forces to use mangroves to address issues around groundwater extraction, water contamination and coastal protection in relation to shrimp farming.

This article elaborates on a feasibility study financed by Partners for Water and the consortium partners: Larive, Van Oord and RYNAN Smart Aquaculture.

The need for change in shrimp farming practices

Rogier Becker, an emerging market advisor at Larive International, is part of an initiative alongside Nienke Oostenbrink from Ocean Health, a programme by the Dutch marine contractor Van Oord, and Minh Anh Tran Ng from RYNAN Smart Aquaculture, a Vietnamese company focused on innovation in shrimp farming. Together, these three organisations have developed a model to transform the traditional shrimp farming practices in the Mekong Delta, which have been passed down through generations.

From left to right: Rogier Becker, Nienke Oostenbrink and Minh Anh Tran Ng.

Coastal protection and mangrove destruction

Becker begins by explaining the need for change. “The coastal regions of Vietnam, particularly the Mekong Delta, are characterised by vast rice fields further inland and extensive aquaculture, primarily shrimp farming, nearer  the coast where the water is brackish. A natural belt of mangroves along the shoreline has played a vital role in preventing coastal erosion by trapping sediment and safeguarding the land.”

Water travels through various mangrove plots when flowing from aquaculture facilities to the river. These mangroves absorb nutrients from shrimp farming, using them for their own growth, creating a natural purification system. Over the years, many shrimp farmers have cleared parts of the mangrove belt to expand their operations. This deforestation has led to increased coastal erosion, shrinking the once-protective mangrove belt to a fraction of its former size.

Water pollution

“Another significant problem is water pollution”, Becker continues. “Upstream farmers use pesticides and other chemicals on their crops, which contaminates the Mekong River as runoff flows downstream. As the water continues its journey, it picks up additional pollutants from each subsequent farm, exacerbating the contamination. This is cumulative, creating a domino effect,” he explains, “leaving the farmers furthest downstream with severely degraded water quality, posing a serious challenge to the quality of the shrimp and the overall ecosystem.”

The TOMGOXY model

Becker, together with the other consortium partners, have been at the forefront of innovative technology.  Now known as the TOMGOXY model, this digital system for operating shrimp farms in a sustainable manner has resulted in more efficient use of resources and less negative impacts on the environment. This approach is supported by replanting mangroves and integrating them into farming systems.

Becker explains, “We’re exploring a combined approach of aquaculture and mangrove restoration, involving local farmers. While mangrove replanting is welcome, many restoration projects fail due to poor location selection and monoculture planting. Our process involves transplanting seedlings from nurseries to carefully chosen sites where suitable conditions for mangroves are generated, with the goal of creating a diverse ecosystem.” By carefully selecting and nurturing mangrove seedlings in nurseries before planting them pitfalls are avoided, ensuring a better chance of survival

Testing and preliminary results

Becker adds, “We’re in a testing phase, exploring opportunities and preparing to report on the results at the beginning of next year. Tests to assess mangrove growth and water purification will start soon. While the business model exists due to shrimp profitability, we’re still determining the optimal ratio of mangrove blocks to shrimp ponds for economic efficiency. Previous tests have confirmed mangroves’ purifying capabilities, but we’re now focusing on creating a circular system for water reuse. The difference between these methods lies mainly in the density of shrimp in the ponds and the amount of oxygen they need.”

Mangrove integration in other regions

In some Vietnamese regions, like Cà Mau, intensive shrimp farming is naturally integrated into mangrove forests. Shrimp are grown in nets within the mangroves, benefiting from the natural environment. However, the model under development now involves a more controlled method where shrimp are raised in tanks. The wastewater from these tanks, which contains nutrients like nitrate, is not immediately released into rivers. Instead, it is first filtered through plots of mangroves, which use the nutrients for their growth, helping to purify the water before it is released back into the environment.

Van Oord’s role: designing and testing

Nienke Oostenbrink, from Van Oord’s Ocean Health initiative, oversees the restoration initiative in Vietnam. “We collaborate closely with RYNAN, to strengthen their ‘TOMGOXY solution’, by adding the mangrove component to it. During testing at the demonstration site in Vietnam, we aim to gather valuable insights into the filtering capacity of mangroves in different set ups.”

While RYNAN implements the broader concept, Van Oord’s expertise lies in designing and testing how mangroves can naturally filter wastewater. According to Oostenbrink, the TOMGOXY concept allows for hyper intensive farming, producing high outputs per square meter. This reduces the need for land and makes space available for restoration of mangrove areas.

Studying mangrove filtration capacity

“We study the capacity of mangroves to absorb nutrients by pumping wastewater from the shrimp ponds into three different mangrove plots. The three plots have unique experimental conditions, allowing us to identify the most favourable conditions for nutrient uptake and mangrove growth. In order to obtain this information, the nutrients in the water and soil and health of the mangroves are closely measured. After the experimental phase, we have acquired the necessary knowledge of the filtration capacity of mangroves in combination with shrimp farming using TOMGOXY.”

The project is complex and will require about nine months of testing before definitive conclusions can be drawn. Even then, the scalability of this solution depends heavily on local conditions. Oostenbrink acknowledges that mangroves require specific environmental conditions to thrive, such as tide-induced flooding of and salinity levels. The design of the mangrove area and site conditions need to be tailored to the selected location.

Scalability and future goals

Ultimately, the success of this project depends on demonstrating that the mangrove filtration system is both effective and economically viable. “If so,” Oostenbrink states, “we will upscale from the current demonstration project to a larger pilot project, where a site needs to be selected and prepared for large scale filtration of aquaculture effluent by mangroves.” This will entail ongoing collaboration with local partners, insights from continued experimental testing and the development of a sustainable financial model. Partners for Water helped finance the initial feasibility study and Oostenbrink highlights how crucial this support was in getting the project off the ground.

RYNAN’s optimism

Minh Anh (RYNAN) embarked on this ambitious project in early 2024. She explains that the collaboration with Van Oord represents a significant development in the net-zero shrimp farming paradigm, lays out a strong foundation for maximising the effect of mangroves in reducing  the amount of gas emissions released from shrimp farming activity and also “seeks to overcome the limitations of relying solely on NGO and government funding for such initiatives.”

While RYNAN has been working on shrimp farms issues, the mangrove integration aspect is relatively new for them. Based on Van Oord’s specifications, RYNAN is preparing to collect data using advanced digital tools, including drones and a network of IoT devices that automate operations and assist in real-time measurement. The testing will involve monthly data collection to assess the effectiveness of the mangrove-shrimp farming system in terms of:

• Treating waste water from shrimp farming activities;
• Reduce the gas emissions amount from shrimp farming;
• Potential scale up to apply to wider range of shrimp farming/mangrove rehabilitation.

Challenges and concerns

In order to ensure the accuracy of the measurements, Van Oord also helped in surveying and conducting comparison experiments with natural mangrove sites. The project promises to not only resolve the environmental issues of the area, but also the social and economic problems faced by local farmers and agricultural funding.

While the team is optimistic about the project’s potential, they have identified some concerns. Minh Anh notes, “The project duration might be extended if turbulent weather conditions occur”. She also questioned the next step of scaling up the project amongst the local shrimp farming community, which farmers are not technically prepared for.

Conclusion

In summary, the model represents a significant departure from traditional shrimp farming methods, paving the way for a more responsible and productive shrimp farming industry.

Partners for Water in Vietnam

Are you currently working on water projects in Vietnam or exploring how to do so? Or just curious about participating in the Partners for Water initiatives?
Visit the Vietnam Delta Page to discover ways in which you can get involved.

Partners for Water recently sat down with Fauzy Nasruddin, the Secretary at the Water Resources Agency of East Java Province (Indonesia) and spoke about the collaboration with the Netherlands on managing the floods in the Welang river basin in East Java.

Fauzy Nasruddin has significant expertise and experience in water management, and visited Delft in September to accompany his staff members on a short course at the Institute for Water Education (IHE) which also allowed him to join his wife’s graduation. Just like him, she studied at the Institute for Water Education (IHE).

Long-standing collaboration

For the last decades, Fauzy Nasruddin has been deeply involved in collaborative water management projects, including those funded by Partners for Water, predominantly addressing issues like flooding, drought, and water pollution in East Java. The challenges of having too much, too little, or too polluted water should eventually be replaced by the 3 Rs of sustainable water management: Recharge, Retention, and Reuse.

The partnership with the Dutch government formally began in 2020, but its roots date back to 2015. That year, the former Dutch minister Stef Blok came to East Java to visit the grave of his grandfather, an engineer who built a dam in the region during the colonial period. This dam still functions today, symbolizing the historical connection and shared expertise between the two countries.

Early dialogue and exploration

In 2018, a delegation from East Java, including Fauzy Nasruddin himself, visited the Netherlands. They travelled to Zeeland and were invited to the University of Applied Sciences to explore potential areas of collaboration and discuss cases of mutual interest, including flood and water quality issues in East Java. In 2020, the collaboration was strengthened during a royal visit to Indonesia.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management visited Surabaya, where Nasruddin’s office is located. She decided that the Welang River could be a pilot project for further cooperation in water management. The river basin is experiencing great problems with flooding and has been the subject of various water management and flood control projects, including collaborative efforts between Indonesia and the Netherlands.

The Welang river’s challenges

The Welang River floods between eight and ten times a year during the rainy season, which lasts from December to March. These floods have significant impacts on local communities, especially the poorer populations who are more vulnerable to natural disasters. While past infrastructure projects, such as building levees and reinforcing riverbanks with stones and concrete (grey infrastructure), have been undertaken, these solutions proved temporary. The floods returned, indicating a need for more sustainable and integrated approaches.

A new approach: the Welang River Master Plan

As part of the collaboration with the Netherlands, a Master Plan for the Welang River has been developed, followed by several pilot projects that focus on integrated and participatory water management, design and implementation. The goal is to manage floods by slowing down and absorbing water in the watershed rather than simply diverting it as quickly as possible. In upstream areas, solutions that use local materials and labour are being found, so they are not only cost-effective but also sustainable and scalable, as local communities can maintain and replicate them, Nasruddin says.

“Early results indicate that these methods are effective at a pilot scale, but scaling them up across more locations, midstream and downstream, is still work in progress,” he adds. The collaboration in Welang is a showcase of integrated planning and implementation, involving a diverse set of local stakeholders. In the midstream and downstream locations, the collaboration is taking a participatory design approach to jointly identify and agree upon interventions that improve water management in critical flooding areas.

A concrete example of such a pilot project is the construction of simple water barriers in the upstream part of the Welang River. These structures, made of bamboo, wood, and local stones, retain water and reduce sedimentation. While some early attempts were unsuccessful – some bamboo structures collapsed during heavy floods – the project has provided valuable insights. It underscores the importance of designing structures that are strong enough to withstand extreme weather conditions while fitting the local context and capabilities.

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges Nasruddin mentions is the complexity of the administrative and political landscape in Indonesia. Political changes can lead to shifts in priorities and budgets, hindering the continuity of long-term projects. He compares this to the situation in the Netherlands, where a Delta Act and a fixed Delta Budget ensure consistent funding and planning, regardless of political changes. He sees the lack of a similar legal framework in Indonesia as an obstacle to sustainable water management initiatives.

Another issue is the involvement of multiple stakeholders with different interests. In the upstream area of the Welang River, for example, forestry agencies, water companies, environmental organizations, and local communities are all active. Each of these parties has its own priorities, making it difficult to arrive at a joint action plan. Nasruddin stresses the importance of stakeholder engagement and co-creation, where all involved parties are included in the process from the start. This not only promotes collaboration but also ensures that solutions better fit the needs and context of the local community.

The economic aspects are also a challenge. Investments in water infrastructure, especially in flood control and upstream conservation, are often seen as less profitable compared to projects like toll roads or commercial developments. This makes it harder to secure funding for crucial water management projects that may not provide immediate financial returns but are essential for the sustainability and safety of communities.

Personal motivation

Nasruddin’s personal motivation stems from his passion for water management and the realization that well-managed water can improve lives and make communities more resilient. He sees water as a common good that, when effectively managed, can have tremendous positive effects on society. His experience in the Netherlands has broadened his perspective, particularly in understanding the importance of process management and stakeholder involvement alongside technical solutions

Future hopes

In the future, he hopes that Indonesia can develop a legal framework similar to the Dutch Delta Act, enabling long-term and stable investments in water management. However, he acknowledges that this is a complex process, given the political dynamics and the diverse interests of stakeholders. Nonetheless, he remains committed to improvement and innovation in water management, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for the people of East Java and making the region more resilient to the challenges of climate change and population growth.​

On 30 August 2024, Dutch and Indonesian water experts came together for an important webinar discussing the Pantura Java Integrated Coastal Development (PJICD) project. This initiative focuses on safeguarding Jakarta and the northern coast of Java from severe flooding, an increasingly urgent issue due to rising sea levels.

At the start of the webinar, Victor Coenen explained the evolution of the project’s terminology, highlighting why the term “Giant Seawall” has been replaced with “outer seadike.” And also why this new term doesn’t fully encompass the 850 km-long coastal development project, which aims to provide comprehensive protection for the entire northern coastline of Java.

Thought-provoking questions

Over 30 professionals attended this interesting webinar. Were you unable to join? You can now watch the recap of the webinar online. Here a some thought-provoking questions raised by the attendees:

• Is it possible to join forces with the Koreans and come up with a combined plan?
• Will a Strategic Environmental (and Social) Assessment (SEA) be part of the planning process?
• Can we afford to shift away from traditional seawalls?

As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Dutch Training & Exposure Programme (DUTEP), we reflect on a decade of fruitful collaboration between Indonesia and the Netherlands in the realm of integrated urban water management. Established in 2014, DUTEP is an annual capacitybuilding programme that serves as a strategic instrument for modern bilateral knowledge cooperation, bringing together Indonesian and Dutch partners from education, the corporate sector, and government to address one of the pressing challenges faced by both Jakarta and Rotterdam – urban water management

A Prime Example of Public-Private Collaboration

DUTEP is a prime example of public-private collaboration, where higher education, the business sector, and the government work closely, making substantial financial and in-kind contributions to the programmes success. The consortium consists of the Jakarta City Government, the City of Rotterdam, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Water Authority Delfland, Van Oord, Deltares and the Port of Rotterdam. Nuffic Southeast Asia fulfils the role of program coordinator and is supported by RVO’s Partners for Water. A very positive development is that the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing of the Republic of Indonesia (PUPR) is participating for the first time in this year’s programme.

“With the Netherlands’ expertise in water management, participants are expected to gain valuable knowledge and international experience, which will serve as a foundation for innovative solutions in Indonesia,” the Head of the Human Resources Development Agency of PUPR said. The Agency further emphasizes the significance of DUTEP as a key opportunity for strategic knowledge exchange and capacity-building, aimed at achieving the goals of the MoU Water between Indonesia and the Netherlands (2022-2027) and enhancing ongoing bilateral cooperation.

Furthermore, involvement of Partners for Water in DUTEP enhances collaboration at both the urban (DKI Jakarta) and national (PUPR) levels, strengthening the connection between urban and national collaborative networks.

The five DUTEP participants hosted by the City of Rotterdam will delve into various aspects of sustainable urban water management, such as the management of green open spaces in waterside areas while incorporating conservation functions, and an analysis of Rotterdam’s success in becoming a climate-resilient city.

Meanwhile, Water Authority Delfland will host three participants who will investigate sustainable solutions for the eutrophication problem in stormwater ponds, explore blue-green infrastructure to address Jakarta’s flooding issues and examine the impacts of river naturalization on alleviating water stress in Indonesia’s Brantas River.

The two participants hosted by Van Oord will investigate levee construction within the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) programme and the implementation of wateroriented urban planning for flood disaster mitigation in the low-lying Rawa Terate subdistrict.

Finally, at Deltares, two participants will concentrate on critical environmental challenges related to water management in Jakarta, including identifying the most effective mitigation policies and strategies against land subsidence.

The last weekend of August 2024 marked the start of the programme for this year’s DUTEP cohort. During the first days, they explored the city of Rotterdam.

The Next Decade for DUTEP

As DUTEP enters its second decade, it is hoped that the programme continues to serve as a prime example of a successful public-private partnership, demonstrating how international cooperation can lead to sustainable solutions for challenges related to urban water management. With its flexible set-up, the programme has also potential to be implemented in different sectors, timeframes and countries in its next decade. If you’re interested in partnering with DUTEP, please reach out to Nanya Burki for more information.