Together with five partners, Delft University of Technology received 3 million euro funding from the Dutch government for the activities of a private-public partnership to improve water quality governance in the Brantas river basin, Indonesia.

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Project leader Maurits Ersten of TU Delft near dam on Brantas river, Indonesia
Project leader Maurits Ertsen of Delft University of Technology standing on a dam in the river Brantas. (photo: TU Delft)
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Project leader Maurits Ersten of TU Delft near dam on Brantas river, Indonesia
Project leader Maurits Ertsen of Delft University of Technology standing on a dam in the river Brantas. (photo: TU Delft)

Research is needed

Over the past 20 years, water quality in Indonesia, and in the Brantas river, has deteriorated due to an increase of water pollution. Research and analysis is needed to identify pollution sources and assess contamination in Indonesian water resources. 

Water quality management is not yet sufficiently integrated in river basin management in Indonesia, which mainly focuses on water quantity.

Socio-economic inequalities

Water quality deterioration continues to increase socio-economic inequality, as the poorest communities tend to live along the river. The uneven water quality related disease burden in the Brantas River Basin widens the socio-economic gap between societal groups.

In the Brantas region, cooperation and intention between stakeholders to tackle these issues is growing, but it is still fragile. Overlapping institutional mandates, the unclear status of water quality monitoring networks, and still relatively limited commitment of industries to treat their waste water streams are all challenges the project takes on.

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Involvement by stakeholder includes fish surveys and recognition of species.
Earlier monitoring included fish surveys involving civil society groups. (photo: Brantas river waterkeeper)
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Involvement by stakeholder includes fish surveys and recognition of species.
Earlier monitoring included fish surveys involving civil society groups. (photo: Brantas river waterkeeper)

Supporting change

Four Indonesian and two Dutch organisations have teamed up to stimulate negotiation platforms in order to deal with institutional challenges, to increase water quality monitoring capacity, and to build an enabling environment facilitating sustainable industrial change and to support community concerns and civil society initiatives. 

The project builds on integrated water quality monitoring and modelling within a framework of social learning. The partnership can build links with civil society groups, including women, farmer and fisher unions.

At the same time, it keeps close links to local, regional and national Indonesian government institutions to clean the Brantas river and secure income and health for East Java’s population, in particular the most vulnerable groups.

The private-public partnership has been formed last year, with Indonesian partners being BBWS Brantas (river basin authority), Ecoton (ngo), Perum Jasa Tirta 1 (water supply company) and PT WNL (environmental laboratory). Tauw (consultancy) is an additional Dutch participant, next to Delft University of Technology (leading partner). The project receives funding from the Sustainable Water Fund, a Public-Private Partnership facility of the Dutch Government that aims to contribute to water safety and water security.

Video by IndoWaterCOP (an initiative of Both ENDS and 3 Indonesian civil society organisations) on participatory river basin management in Indonesia to counter the negative effects of increasing pollution, floods and drought.
This news item was originally published on the website of TU Delft