Improving water security in Indonesia 1 Introduction - Tecniberia

Improving water security in Indonesia
Discussion paper for a study visit in Spain by
Ir. Isnugroho
Executive Director, Center for River Basin Organizations and Management (CRBOM),
Solo, Central Java, Indonesia
isnugroho@crbom.org
1 Introduction
1.1 About this paper
May 2010
This paper describes today's agenda for water security in Indonesia in general and in the Solo
River Basin in particular.
It has been compiled as a contribution to a study visit in Spain in May 2010, organised by ADB,
NARBO, Tecniberia, and Ministerio de Economía y Hacienda, Government of Spain.
1.2 Socio-economics and geography
Indonesia is the largest archipelago country. It is composed of more than 17,000 large and small
islands, with a coastline of 84,000 km, and covering a land area of 1.9 million km2. The
population is estimated at more than 230 million (by 2010). Java, the smallest among the major
islands, is home to 60% of the population and is the most densely populated area. On the other
hand, Papua, which has the largest areas, is only inhabited by 2% of the population.
Figure 1: Country map
Sumatra
Jakarta
Java
Kali-
mantan
Papua
During the last 40 years, Java and Sumatra have experienced a massive urban and industrial
development, which has involved conversion of agricultural lands to industrial areas and human
settlements. In some cities, swampy areas have been reclaimed and developed into new urban
areas. Deforestation has taken place in the upper parts of the river basins due to the demand of
more agricultural land. These developments have caused large challenges to the management of
water resources and river basins.

1.3 River basin management
In Indonesia, a distinction is made between 5 types of river basins:
a. International river basins: 5
b. Inter-province river basins: 27
c. Strategic river basins: 37
d. Inter-regency/city river basins: 51
e. Regency/city river basins: 13
The country has several types of river basin organizations (RBOs), as follows:
Public corporate RBO (Perum Jasa Tirta, PJT)
In developed and strategic basins of national importance, the government has established selffinancing,
autonomous river basin management corporations. Two river basin authorities of this
type have been created: the Jasa Tirta I Public Corporation in the Brantas and Bengawan Solo
River Basin (Perum Jasa Tirta I) and the Jasa Tirta II Public Corporation (Perum Jasa Tirta II)
covering the Citarum River (part of the greater Citarum Basin). They are responsible for water
allocation and for operation of water-related infrastructure. They are owned and governed by the
State (Ministry of Public Works). They operate on a commercial basis and recover some (but
not all) of their costs.
The social functions of the PJTs are:
- Conservation and sustainability of water resources;
- supply of information and recommendations on water resources management in the basin;
- allocation of water for various uses;
- flood and drought management; and
- water quality management.
The commercial functions of the PJTs are:
- Supply of raw water for domestic and municipal industrial uses;
- allocation of water for agriculture and industries;
- allocation of water for hydropower generation;
- other services, related to tourism, water quality monitoring, technical assistance, capacitybuilding,
etc.
Central government RBO (Balai Besar Wilayah Sungai, BBWS/Balai Wilayah
Sungai, BWS)
The central government 3 has established 12 Balai Besar Wilayah Sungai (BBWS) and 19 Balai
Wilayah Sungai (BWS) to manage water resources in 67 particular basins. The management is
1 Ministry of Public Work Regulation No. 11/ A/ PRT/ M/ 2006 regarding Criteria and Declaration on River
Basins
2 Or 'water management districts', 'Satuan Wilayah Sungai', SWS, that include some adjacent areas that drain
directly to the sea
3 Ministry of Public Works Decree No. 12/PRT/M/2006
1 2
2

not only limited to operation and maintenance but also covers river basin planning and
development. The tasks and responsibilities of the BWS/BBWS are based on the Water
Resources Law No. 7 / 2004, which covers water resources conservation, utilization, and
prevention of water-related hazards. These organisations are fully funded by the central
government. There is no cost recovery at present, but it is planned to collect fees from
commercial beneficiaries.
Provincial government RBO (Balai PSDA)
At the province level, the local governments can set up permanent Basin Management Units
(Balai PSDA) to implement water resources management at the basin level. The Balai PSDA is
placed under the Provincial Public Water Resources Service(Dinas PSDA). Their roles, and
responsibilities cover water allocation for several users, management of rivers, reservoirs, lakes
and ponds, flood control and drought management, swamps, in-stream pollution control, river
mouth maintenance, and inter-district irrigation systems. They are funded by the provincial
government budget (which is limited). Among the 33 provinces in Indonesia, only 15 have
basin management units, with a total number of 59 such units.
Province/regency/municipal water resources services 4
Such units have been established under province/regency/municipal government regulation.
Their tasks and responsibilities are mainly operation and maintenance of small rivers and
irrigation systems under 1,000 ha. A prominent problem is limited budgets.
--------------
Between them, the different bodies cover the following areas:
• 3 river basins are managed by the Corporate Type RBOs (PJT-I for Brantas River Basin
and Bengawan Solo River Basin and PJT-II for Citarum River Basin);
• 67 river basins are managed by central government RBOs (17 basins are managed by 12
BBWS and 50 basins are managed by 19 BWS);
• 15 river basins are managed by provincial government RBOs, and various units of
regency/city task forces are involved in managing river basins, particularly within a
regency or city.
Some of the water resources problems in a river basin are related to the capacity of the RBOs
and their authority in law enforcement. Examples are deforestation, bad agricultural practices,
land use changes, reclamation of swampy areas, encroachment of river channels, etc. Such
challenges require authority and human resources. Therefore, capacity-building of RBOs is a
critical task in the future.
4 Indonesia has 33 provinces (including 2 special regions and 1 special capital city district); 397 regencies;
and 98 municipalities
3

2 Improving water security
2.1 Flood management and climate proofing 5
From 1985 to 2009, there were 154 flood events in Indonesia - more than 6 per year - and
clearly escalating over the period. 54 of these floods were classified as severe; and more than 40
of the floods occurred in Java. There were severe floods in Jakarta in early 2007; and in the
Bengawan Solo Basin in December 2007/January 2008, and again in early 2009.
Box 1: Climate proofing in Java
Java is exposed to a number of factors that affect the flood risk and flood vulnerability, such as (in random order):
El Niño (mesoscale) climate oscillations; global climate change; volcanic eruptions and earthquakes; changed land
use; land subsidence related to groundwater abstraction; sand mining; river regulation; and general development of
the physical infrastructure. With land slides as a related calamity, serious (and apparently escalating) consequences
to human lives, crops, properties and infrastructure have occurred in recent years.
Flood proofing measures are in progress or are being planned at the national, province, regency/municipality and
community level of administration. They include flood storage capacity; dykes; flood channels; drainage (flow)
capacity maintenance and enhancement; land conservation in headwater areas; erosion control (terracing, regreening,
reforestation and sediment control); flood hazard mapping; public awareness; and forecasting and
operational warning.
Source: Fahmi Hidayat (Oct 09)
Figure 2: Location of the Solo River Basin
Jakarta
0 200 km
2.2 Land subsidence
Land subsidence is observed in several major Javanese towns, including Jakarta, where the rate
is up to 10-12 cm/year in places. This is due to a combination of natural causes and groundwater
abstraction. The subsidence will interact adversely with a rising sea level.
2.3 Sediment control
Bandung
Java
Sedimentation takes place in rivers and reservoirs, partly for natural reasons and partly due to
changed land use. The sedimentation increases the flow resistance of flow channels, hereby
adding to the flood risk, and reduces the precious live storage capacity in reservoirs.
5 Section quoted from Fahmi (Oct 09)
Yogyakarta Solo
Surabaya
4

Figure 3: Maintenance dredging in the Wonogiri Reservoir, Solo River Basin
A variety of mitigation measures are being implemented, including control of land use,
alternative routing of flows with high sediment loads, and dredging in reservoirs.
2.4 Wastewater disposal
Orderly disposal of wastewater is an escalating challenge, due to the general economic
development, urbanization, increased demand of water, and increased waste production from
households and industries.
3 River basin governance
3.1 Prospects for basin-level management
Indonesia has a long history in developing river basin organizations. A large variety of
challenges from one river basin to another is reflected by different approaches and institutional
arrangements. Some river basins in Java (Bengawan Solo, Brantas and Citarum) are managed
by three different RBOs with different responsibilities. In other cases, one single RBO can
manage two or more river basins.
Basin-level water resources management involves many different interests, as represented by
different institutions. A comprehensive and integrated (IWRM-based) management requires a
shared or coordinated management planning, involving the various agencies and stakeholders.
3.2 Stakeholder participation
Implementation of stakeholder participation is envisaged in Presidential Regulation No. 12/2004
on Water Resources Councils, which regulates the establishment and mechanism of water
resources councils at the national, provincial, and regency/municipal levels.
Water Resources Councils (Dewan Sumber Daya Air) are being established at each government
level: A National Water Resources Council, Provincial Water Resources Councils, and Regency
or Municipal Water Resources Councils. They will formulate water resources policies at each
5

government level. Members should be representatives of various water-related interest, heads of
provincial government agencies, and regents and mayors representing local governments. ]
The Bengawan Solo Water Council
One example of successful stakeholder involvement is the Water Council of the Bengawan Solo
River Basin. 6 This basin covers parts of the Central and East Java Province. Its area is some
20,000 km2, 7 with a population of around 15 million people.
The Council was established in February 2009 as a platform for stakeholder liaison and an
advisory body for water-related, basin-level development. 8 It is responsible to the Minister for
Public Works and is one if the first such bodies in Indonesia.
Box 2: Indonesia's Law No. 7/ 2004 on Water Resources - extract related to stakeholder participation
Article 85
(1) Water resources management covers inter-sector and inter-regional interests that require integrated actions to
maintain the sustainability of the functions and benefits of water sources and resources.
(2) Water resources management ... should be conducted through a coordination by integrating the interests of
various sectors, regions, and stakeholders in water resources.
Article 86
(1) Coordination ... should be conducted by a coordination institution under the name of water resources board or by
any other name.
(2) The coordination institution ... has the main task of preparing and formulating water resources policies and
strategies.
(3) The members of the coordination institution ... consist of a balanced number of state and non-state elements
based on the principle of representation.
(4) The organizational structure and work procedures of the coordination institution ... will be regulated further by a
presidential decree......
Institutional Members
The Solo River Basin is in the category of 'inter-province river basins'. There are two RBOs
apart from the Water Council:
(1) Jasa Tirta Public Corporation I (Perum Jasa Tirta I, PJTI), operating and maintaining the
basin's water infrastructure, as well as flood management, watershed management,
morphological management, and water quality monitoring; and
(2) the River Basin Development Agency (Balai Besar Wilayah Sungai Bengawan Solo,
BBWS-BS), undertaking basin-level water resources planning and related tasks.
Both are members of the Water Council, and the Council's secretariat is hosted by BBWS-BS.
The Council Chairman is rotated between the two provinces. The Council has 64 members,
representing agencies, organizations and bodies that are in some way involved in water
6 Tim Koordinasi Pengelolaan Sumber Daya Air, TKPSDA, or the 'Water Resources Management
Coordination Team'
7 Including some adjacent drainage basins
8 The Council is instituted by the Law on Water Resources (2004), while details are provided in Presidential
Decree 12/2008. The Council as such was formed by Decree from the Minister of Public Works 247/2009
6

esources management in the basin, at the national, province, or de-central level. Half of these -
32 - are governmental, and the other half are non-governmental.
Non-governmental members are appointed for a 5-years period. They have been identified in
various ways, including newspaper announcements, and have been selected according to the
following criteria:
• Recommendation by a relevant body;
• must have been legally registered or in active operation for at least 3 years (except for
irrigation committees);
• must be based in the river basin.
The Council has three committees, covering conservation; water utilization; and water-related
calamities (such as floods and land slides). Two supporting committees cover data information
and public participation. The Council holds plenary meetings four times per year, and other
(committee or working group) meetings as required.
Responsibilities
The Council identifies development needs and opportunities, provides policy guidance, and
undertakes strategic development planning and implementation planning. The main
responsibility according to the Law on Water Resources (2004) is to formulate water resources
policies and strategies. The Council reports to the Minister of Public Works and to the
Governors of Central Java and East Java Provinces. The planning tasks of the Council reflect
the requirements described in the Law on Water Resources (2004).
In less than half a year after its formation, the Council has processed a draft strategic plan
('pola') and submitted it for endorsement by the government.
The Council provides practical and useful guidance, in a functional, active collaboration with
stakeholders. Hereby, it adds insight as well as directions and support to the water resources
management and the water-related development of the basin.
Funding
The operation of the Council is covered by the central government via the budget of BBWS-BS
and particularly comes from local government.
3.3 RBO Benchmarking
NARBO, 9 with support from ADB and International Water Management Institute (IWMI), has
introduced performance benchmarking of RBOs in support of effective water resources
management.
An RBO benchmarking is a structured assessment of its performance relative to 'best practices',
considering its stated responsibilities and operation, and made for the sake of improving its
performance. Benchmarking can describe an RBO's ability to do what it is expected to do (or
wants to do), and hereby provide a starting point as well as directions for performance
upgrading. Also, a benchmarking can facilitate a structured sharing of experience and
inspiration between participating RBOs. Typically, the associated costs are moderate.
9 Network of Asian River Basin Organisations
7

The NARBO methodology is based on a balanced scorecard with 4 Critical Performance Areas
and 14 indicators, as presented below. Each indicator can be rated from 0 - 4.
Performance benchmarking is usually implemented stepwise, as follows :
1 A self-assessment about the present position;
2 setting targets for the future position;
3 formulation of a mid-term action plan on how to reach these targets;
4 a peer review for external comparison and validation of evidences and scorings, providing
more balanced results, as well as advice from external partners; and
5 follow up for internal realization of the action plans, incorporation of these action plans in
other development plans, and updating the action plans each year.
Table 1: The NARBO scorecard for RBO performance
Critical Performance Area Objective Indicator
Mission IWRM 1. RBO status
2. RBO governance
Stakeholders Customer satisfaction 3. Customer involvement
4. Customer feedback
Environmental conditions
Livelihoods
Learning and growth Human resources
Infrastructure
System development
Internal business processes Planning
Resource management
Information management
Finance Financial independence
Financial performance
5. Environmental audits
6. Basin Livelihoods
7. Human resources development
8. Technical development
9. Organizational development
10. Planning maturity
11. Water allocation
12. Data sharing
13. Cost recovery
14. Financial efficiency
Steps 1, 2 and 3 are done by an internal process, normally assisted by external facilitators. Step
4 is a kind of verification of the self assessment by external persons. The aim is to facilitate
improvement, not a competition between RBOs, and therefore, step 4 is implemented by
colleagues from other RBOs or line agencies. This peer review is an essential enhancement of
the internal process of steps 1-3, because it provides an external and therefore more objective
verification of the self-assessment, and comparison with experiences from outside provides
extra opportunities to learn from each other.
Pilot implementation took place in 2006-08 for 10 Asian RBOs - one in Sri Lanka, one in The
Philippines, one in Viet Nam, and seven in Indonesia. Today, performance benchmarking is
becoming routinely applied for Indonesian RBOs. The approach is being consolidated and
streamlined for applications elsewhere in Asia.
4 Lessons learned
Examples of lessons learned - or being learned - are provided in the following table.
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Table 2: Examples of lessons on water security learned in Indonesia
Basin-level management and RBO peformance
Functional public participation modalities with proven benefits
Responsive maintenance, rehabilitation and expansion of flood protection
infrastructure and irrigation systems
Flood warning systems, including operational warning systems
Storage capacity, including multi-purpose reservoirs
Land use development in headwater areas
Responsive development of irrigation technology and cultivation systems
Cropping strategy based on predictable climate variability related to the El Niño-
Southern Oscillation cycle
There is a strong need of continued education and capacity-building. This need is served (or will
be served) in different ways. CKNet is a collaboration between universities, covering waterrelated
activities; PJT-I operates a new national training facility near Malang, East Java; and a
new Dissemination Unit for Water Resources management and Technology (DUWRMT) is
being established in Solo, Central Java, with support from Jica.
5 Knowledge networking, dialogue and partnership
Knowledge is not a finite resource - it can be shared without being consumed. Exchange of
professional knowledge serves a variety of good purposes and should be encouraged at all
levels: National as well as international, within and between sector-related professional
disciplines, with NGOs, and within and between the public, private and academic spheres.
Timely access to knowledge - perhaps readily available from elsewhere - can save time and
money and assure appropriate response to new challenges and development opportunities.
5.1 Knowledge-sharing in Asia
Asia has a proud tradition of knowledge-sharing within river basin management and water
resources management. Networking is maintained by bodies such as Global Water Partnership,
Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO), Asia-Pacific Water Forum (with its
network of regional knowledge hubs), CapNet, Japan Water Agency, ADB's Water for All
programme, and others.
5.2 CRBOM
CRBOM was launched on 28 April 2009. The Centre is located in Solo, Central Java, together
with several agencies involved in river basin management (BBWS-BS and PJT-I) and river
engineering (Experiment Station for Rivers, Balai Sungai). It is placed under Ministry of Public
Works and is a member of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum's network of regional knowledge hubs.
Still in an early stage of consolidation, CRBOM - in collaboration with NARBO and several
partners, such as PJT1 - offers services related to basin-level management, such as
• support to river basin development roadmaps;
• support to RBO benchmarking; and
• various other services.
9

Vision of CRBOM
IWRM-based river basin management successfully implemented, in support of social benefits, economic growth
and environmental quality
Mission of CRBOM
CRBOM consolidated as a national centre of excellence and a regional knowledge hub within IWRM based river
basin management
Knowledge-sharing is supported by the CRBOM 'Small Publications Series', which is produced
by and for Asian practitioners. The papers are freely available from the Internet.
5.3 Scope for dialogue
In the present context, Indonesia is in a position to share its experience within basin-level
management (as well as several other disciplines). In return, Indonesia is in need of further
knowledge about many water-related technologies and management tools.
The following subjects may be considered for a dialogue:
• Technology in support of reduced demand of water and electricity, and reduced waste
generation, in the agricultural sector, as well as industries and mines;
• wastewater and solid waste management, particularly for urban areas;
• groundwater management, including monitoring, licensing, and prevention of land
subsidence; and
• development of sustainable water-related tourism.
5.4 Questions for discussion
Questions for discussion may include for example
• Monitoring, data management, decision-support, reporting and dissemination (related to
water allocation, floods, drought, groundwater abstraction, water quality, ......);
• technology and management modalities for flood proofing, flood mitigation, and
sediment control, in the perspective of increased climate-related exposure;
• land management and habitat conservation, including mountainous areas and wetlands;
• public participation and stakeholder dialogue about water-sharing and water-related
development; and, perhaps,
• indicators and monitoring modalities for basin-level IWRM implementation.
References
Aart Van Nes and Arlene Inocencuo (08): RBO performance bench marking in six RBOs in Indonesia. Paper
published by DHV, Deltares, MLD in Cooperation with NARBO
Fahmi Hidayat (Oct 09): Floods and climate change - observations from Java. CRBOM Small Publications Series no.
10, Center for River Basin Organizations and Management, Solo, Central Java, Indonesia
Graita Sutadi (09): The Bengawan Solo Water Council. Paper published by BBWS-BS
Isnugroho (Jul 09): Authority and responsibility in river basin management. CRBOM Small Publications Series no. 1,
Center for River Basin Organizations and Management, Solo, Central Java, Indonesia
10

Sudarsono (Sep 09): The Bengawan Solo Water Council - providing insight and directions. CRBOM Small
Publications Series no. 5, Center for River Basin Organizations and Management, Solo, Central Java,
Indonesia
Sungguh, Harry M (Dec 09): RBO benchmarking. CRBOM Small Publications Series no. 15, Center for River Basin
Organizations and Management, Solo, Central Java, Indonesia
Team Indonesia (07): Proposal for development and business plan of the Center for River Basin Organizations and
Management
Team Indonesia (June 09):River basin organization on managing water resources in Indonesia. Country paper
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