Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a new approach to develop the management of water resources that pays attention to the environment.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Public Works and Housing Ministry has urged stakeholders to jointly manage water resources, from upstream to downstream, as part of the integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach.

"Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a new approach to develop the management of water resources that pays attention to the environment," Secretary of the Public Works and Housing Ministry Anita Firmanti noted in a written statement released on Monday.

As such, the management of water resources can be conducted in a comprehensive and integrated manner analogous to the environment-friendly concept to ascertain the sustainable use of water for public welfare, she remarked.

IWRM requires a river basin-based method as its main entity Hence, as a river basin organization (RBO), River Area Centers of the Public Works and Housing Ministry and State Drinking Water Company Perum Jasa Tirta (PJT) function as a spearhead in the management of water resources in river areas, assisted by regional governments and residents grouped in the river community.

To improve the management of water resources, the government has divided river basin areas into 128 units across the nation in line with the management authority of the central government and regional administrations, she stated.

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The water reservoir capacity across Indonesia, currently reaching some 14 billion cubic meters annually, is only able to irrigate 11 percent of the seven million hectares of irrigated paddy fields in the country.

To this end, the country was in the process of building 56 dams in 2018, of which 15 have been completed. This year, the government has also built several dams, including the Ameroro dam in Southeast Sulawesi, Jragung dam in Central Java, and Tiu Suntuk in West Nusa Tenggara.

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The construction of 65 dams, once completed in 2023-2024, will add to the area of irrigated farm land, she stated.

Presence of the dams will also increase potential raw water, energy, flood control, and tourism.

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Translator: Aji Cakti/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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