To achieve climate resilience and economic transformation in Indonesia, the foundation for a productive and healthy population through clean water supply is essential. Therefore, a collaborative Knowledge, Innovation, and Technology team from Australia and Indonesia under the KONEKSI program conducted research and reported on the resilience of Community-Based Water Supply and Sanitation (PAMSIMAS) systems to climate change.
The research results were presented by a team that is a collaboration between Universitas Indonesia (UI), University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Center for Regulation Policy and Governance (CRPG), and Gadjah Mada University (UGM). The UI team consists of Dr. Cindy Rianti Priadi as Team Leader Comp B and Dr.-Ing. Sucipta Laksono as Co-Lead Researcher. The presentation was held through a national workshop titled “Climate Resilient Community-Based Drinking Water Supply” on Monday (3/6) at Tamarin Hotel, Central Jakarta.
During the event, the KONEKSI team had the opportunity to introduce a self-assessment tool for KPSPAMS called the Rural Water Supply Climate-Resilient Monitoring Tool (RWS-CRMT). This tool is able to assess the vulnerability/resilience of rural water services to climate change. The development process has started from September 2023 to May 2024. RWS-CRMT has been tested on 100 Water Supply Sanitation Infrastructure Management Groups (KPSPAMS) spread across 14 provinces in Indonesia, including Central Java, Gorontalo, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, West Sumatra, Special Region of Yogyakarta, West Java, Riau, Lampung, West Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.
“We must appreciate the efforts made by PAMSIMAS in overcoming the impact of technical problems. The impact of climate change has started to feel, there must be follow-up such as having a backup water source, adjusting materials, pipes, and pumps,” said Dr.-Ing. Sucipta.
Dean of FT UI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, M.Eng., IPU. revealed, “This collaboration between institutions is able to create a water service vulnerability assessment tool. This initiative is important to address water access and quality issues, especially in climate change and population growth. This assessment tool will help identify water service challenges and ensure safe and affordable access for all. I appreciate the dedication of the research teams from the three universities and regulatory centers, and hope that this collaboration continues to produce innovations that benefit society. Thank you to everyone involved.”
The event was attended by representatives of various stakeholders, including the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS); the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN); the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek); the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri); Water.org; the World Bank; Green Development Innovation; the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR); UNICEF; local governments of the study areas; and the Water Supply Sanitation Infrastructure Management Group (KPSPAMS). Through this workshop, government agencies, academics and non-profit organizations explored mitigation and adaptation opportunities to deal with climate change impacts on PAMSIMAS.
“Inclusivity has now become something that continues to be developed. From free water use for religious infrastructure to inclusive fees for low-income communities have been implemented in some PAMSIMAS. There are also social issues that arise from field studies, such as the lack of transparency about fees and the role of women in the implementation of the PAMSIMAS program,” said Dr. Cindy Rianti Priadi who is also the Chairperson of the UI Environmental Engineering Study Program, explaining the GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) aspect in realizing climate-resilient PAMSIMAS.
She added that with strong collaboration and coordination between academics, government, and researchers, this research is expected to integrate recommendations and policies that can be forwarded for follow-up by the parties concerned. Through this joint effort, PAMSIMAS implementation and development programs in the future can be implemented more optimally based on the research results that have been presented in this seminar.
