Indonesia Water Warriors: Supporting Youth in Water Conservation
Photo: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.
Today’s youth have experienced and will continue to bear the impacts of climate change in the future, signifying the importance of their voices and agencies in creating change. In this light, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing of Indonesia (PUPR) launched the Indonesia Water Warriors community as a forum to encourage the youth’s involvement in addressing water-related issues.
Water Issues in Indonesia
Clean water is essential to life. Humans need clean water to drink and cook, as well as to support agricultural and industrial activities. Similarly, water is essential for animals and plants to live and grow and is a crucial component of maintaining overall environmental health.
However, like many other countries, Indonesia faces the issue of clean water shortages that significantly impact various aspects of life. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics notes that around 9% of Indonesia’s population cannot access clean drinking water. Meanwhile, World Resources Indonesia (WRI) predicts that Indonesia is likely to suffer from a major threat of clean water shortage in 2040.
One of the main factors causing clean water scarcity in Indonesia is the high level of pollution that contaminates rivers, lakes, and other main water sources. Unfortunately, waste drifting and piling up in rivers has become a common sight across the country. WWF Indonesia has reported that 82% of the 550 rivers in Indonesia are polluted. Additionally, many factories in Indonesia still dispose of their industrial wastewater into the rivers, contaminating fish and other species with hazardous chemicals.
Furthermore, rapid population growth, massive agriculture and land use, water conflicts, and climate change have also exacerbated the threat of water scarcity.
Indonesia Water Warriors
Indonesia Water Warriors was launched at the “Water Warriors Assemble: Indonesian Wave After the 10th World Water Forum” event in Jakarta on September 21, 2024. This youth community was formed through the joint program between Indonesia Wave for Cooperation in Water Youth program and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Youth Committee of the 10th World Water Forum.
Indonesia Water Warrior encourages youth’s involvement in protecting and preserving water resources. The primary goal is to empower youth as drivers of sustainable water management through collaborative initiatives, education, advocacy, and research to realize a water-resilient and water-secure future.
As a part of their initiative, Indonesia Water Warrior plans to collaborate with communities focusing on water and river conservation in Indonesia, which has roughly 1,100 communities, to carry out sustainable water conservation and management initiatives with the support and facilitation of the Directorate General of Water Resources.
The collaboration aims to focus on river cleaning and will receive a financial disbursement of around IDR 5 billion per river from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. As a follow-up, Indonesia Water Warriors will deploy representatives in all provinces in Indonesia, bringing forward the elements of local organizations, civil society organizations, and local leaders.
“There are currently more than 1,100 communities in Indonesia working to conserve rivers, and many observers and researchers are active in the field of water resources. However, I hope that the Water Warriors can take on a bigger role. Let us turn this spirit into a movement. I am sure that with the cooperation between the government and the community, we can achieve more,” said Basuki Hadimuljono, the Minister of Public Works and Housing.
“I hope that this movement will not just be a symbolic act of river cleaning because the rivers and water resources in Indonesia really do always need to be cared for and cleaned up.”
Bigger Actions Needed
Water is a source of life; it supports the livelihood and wellbeing of all living beings on Earth. Therefore, addressing water challenges requires significant, massive, and comprehensive action involving all key stakeholders in the field.
Sustainable water resource management, ecosystem conservation, and education about preserving water quality and quantity must be implemented in educational institutions for children and the broader community. Additionally, collaboration between governments, the private sector, and local communities is required to create innovative and inclusive solutions to ensure access to clean water for all in current and future generations.
Translator: Kresentia Madina
The original version of this article is published in Indonesian at Green Network Asia – Indonesia.
Abul Muamar
Amar is the Manager of Indonesian Digital Publications at Green Network Asia. He holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy from Universitas Gadjah Mada and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Universitas Sumatera Utara. He has over ten years of professional experience in journalism as a reporter and editor for several national-level media companies in Indonesia. He is also a writer, editor, and translator with a particular interest in socio-economic and environmental issues.
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