“The water sector plays a critical role in Indonesia’s well-being and is fundamental for development across multiple dimensions,” stated Royhan Wahab, Minister Counsellor for Economic Cooperation at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague. Speaking about the longstanding Dutch-Indonesian water cooperation, he outlined key priorities for future collaboration: establishing a national roadmap for sustainable water management; building Indonesia’s giant seawall system; creating Centres of Excellence for Water Management; improving drinking water systems through lake and seawater conversion and strengthening existing partnerships.

The counsellors’ enthusiasm and ambitious words set the tone for the Platform Meeting, which reflected on past achievements and future opportunities and through focussed break-out sessions explored themes such as Nature-based Solutions (NBS), the BlueDeal, Lowland Development and Irrigation and the Welang River Basin Transformation Project.

Deep dive sessions

Nature-based Solutions: Turning theory into practice

“Indonesia has demonstrated a strong commitment to implementing NbS, incorporating them into their national midterm development plan for 2025-2029 and is one of the focuses under for the Dutch-Indonesian water collaboration,” begins Tom Wilms from Witteveen + Bos during his breakout session on NbS implementation guidelines for the Indonesian government. “Despite this enthusiasm and political backing, the Indonesian government faces challenges in practical implementation of NbS.”
To bridge this gap between theory and practice, Dutch and Indonesian experts will support the Indonesian Ministries of National Development Planning (Bappenas) and Public Works (PU) by integrating NbS into two guideline documents: a strategic guideline for flood risk management and a technical guideline for establishing river planning criteria. The support is the result of an ongoing fruitful collaboration between the Asian Development Bank and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and will be provided by experts from Witteveen + Bos, Deltares and Royal Haskoning DHV.

However, translating these guidelines from theory into practice remains a challenge. During the plenary discussion, several key points emerged to support implementation:

• Create synergies with existing local NbS projects to benefit from their experiences and avoid reinventing the wheel.
• Recognise that whilst government guidelines provide the framework, local communities, farmers and the private sector have been implementing NbS for generations.
• This requires rethinking traditional partnership models to better support small-scale, community-driven initiatives alongside larger governmental programmes.
  Invest time in building strong political relationships, as these connections often prove crucial for turning plans into reality.

Welang River Basin Transformation

In East Java, the Welang River serves as a vital water source for local communities. However, urban growth has introduced significant challenges, including flooding, erosion, pollution and water distribution issues. Maarten Onneweer, from AidEnvironment, spoke about the Welang River Basin Transformation Project: an Indonesian-Dutch collaborative project demonstrating how grassroots participation can effectively address these water management challenges. “By uniting local residents, government officials, the private sector and environmental specialists, we have successfully implemented NbS through an integrated, participatory approach,” shared Onneweer. “Now it’s time to scale up to other watersheds in Java. Opportunities for follow-up were discussed with the local authorities, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.”
During the plenary discussion, a common dilemma for scaling up such projects was identified: quantifying the impact of NbS. Whilst these small-scale interventions collectively appear to significantly improve catchment water management, the evidence often remains anecdotal. To justify similar approaches elsewhere, it’s crucial to turn practice into theory and learn from implemented examples, incorporating these lessons into a scaling-up strategy for other watersheds across Indonesia.

Blue Deal Indonesia

The Blue Deal, running from 2018 to 2030, brings together Dutch Water Authorities with local governments around the world in providing 20 million people access to clean, safe water. “Since 2023, the Blue Deal has officially become part of the water cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia,” explains Robin Bos from Dutch Water Board Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier. “We currently focus on flood risk, coastal zone and wastewater management in Tangerang, Pekalongan and Semarang, but we’re also open to collaborations in other regions connected to our projects,”

The programme operates across three layers of water governance— knowledge, institutional and relational—whilst providing advice, training and facilitating the implementation of practical solutions. One example is a demonstration project in the Batik industry to address water pollution. “Drawing from past experiences, we observed that local governments often struggle to manage large-scale wastewater treatment facilities,” notes Bos. “In response, we’re initiating a small-scale and low-tech pilot project using NbS to treat Batik industry wastewater.” This initiative complements a recently funded Partners for Water subsidy scheme project, which also tackles water pollution in the Batik industry.

A key factor to their success? Bos emphasizes the importance of working simultaneously at different scales, combining top-down and bottom-up approaches. “Strong relationships with relevant officials and stakeholders are essential. If they don’t know your project, if they don’t know you, it can be very difficult to take steps with the local government.”

Lowland development and irrigation: knowledge exchange

Irrigated lowland areas play a crucial role in Indonesia’s journey towards the national priority of food independence. The Netherlands, with its historical expertise in water management, has been a key partner in this quest. However, valuable knowledge of lowland development resides primarily with experienced older professionals both countries. To prevent this expertise from being lost, it is critical to actively transfer it to the next generation of water managers.

During this breakout session, Sur Suryadi from IHE Delft shared historical initiatives in lowland development, providing insights into the ongoing collaboration in Dadahup, Kalimantan and discussed knowledge exchange strategies. A lively discussion took place among the participants on strategies for effectively transferring essential lowland expertise to future water managers. This topic will be further developed in the coming year with the Ministry of Public Works and local knowledge institutions.

Building relationships for the future

The day’s deep dive into Dutch-Indonesian water collaborations concluded with networking and drinks, underscoring a key insight: sustainable water management is achieved through genuine relationship-building across all levels. Success requires bringing together diverse voices—from local communities to government officials. While this inclusive approach may be more complex, it yields more sustainable and far-reaching results, creating the foundation for lasting impact.

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.

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.

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.​

With the Human series, we showcase the people who are involved in and benefit from the Partners for Water projects. The Human series sheds light on the stories of the people with whom and for whom Partners for Water works, and on how water affects their lives. Discover below how water influences the life of Irene Novita Andriani, whose lifelong struggle with frequent flooding has fueled a deep commitment to addressing the region’s water challenges,

In her current role, Novita is spearheading efforts to conserve water resources in areas where this is particularly challenging, such as the Welang river in Java. Her work focuses on ensuring that water quantity, quality, and continuity meet both current and future demands, reflecting a broader commitment to sustainable development in one of Indonesia’s most vital regions.

Dutch-Indonesian Water Cooperation

For over fifty years, the Netherlands has been a crucial partner to Indonesia in water management, solidified by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) since June 2007. The latest MoU, covering 2022-2026, aims to elevate cooperation to a more strategic level, involving government authorities, public and private sectors, and NGOs from both nations.

Indonesia is one of the seven delta countries engaged in the Partners for Water programme for 2022-2027. Urban water security in parts of Indonesia is compromised by low access to piped water and pollution. Agriculture and poor sanitation further degrade water quality. Java, housing over half the population, faces severe water scarcity, projected to worsen by 2040. Over-exploitation of aquifers leads to subsidence and increased flood risks, especially in Jakarta. Costal cities are also threatened by exacerbate droughts, fires, and sea level rise caused by climate change.

The collaboration with Partners for Water advocates for sustainable and integrated water management through long-term partnerships, utilizing experiences from previous programs. Partners for Water leverages its extensive network, knowledge, and funding to address water security challenges in partner countries. By integrating Dutch and local expertise in sustainable, inclusive, and innovative water management from the early planning stages, the program aims to foster cooperation among government entities, the private sector, NGOs, young professionals, and knowledge institutions.

The program’s priorities include lowland development and irrigation, integrated water management, and the development of capacity, knowledge exchange, and youth engagement.

Exploring opportunities in Indonesia?

Are you currently working on water projects in Indonesia or exploring how to do so? Or just curious about participating in the Partners for Water initiatives? Here are ways for you to get involved:

• Apply for our tenders focused on innovative solutions in delta countries like Indonesia.
• Join our annual Indonesia platform meeting or one of the other Partners for Water events. Check out our events page for upcoming events.
• Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on our tenders, activities, events and projects.
• Apply for the Partners for Water subsidy. Explore whether you are eligible.
• Get in touch with our Project Advisor for Indonesia: Simon van Meijeren

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.