Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar noted in a statement received here on Wednesday that the water resource policies are as important as land resource policies.
"No less important is the policy on handling forest and land fires that has succeeded in reducing the area of burned land and forest by 1,396,380 hectares, or 87.3 percent, since 2019," Minister Bakar remarked.
The minister said water resources policies had to be improved in order to follow the stipulation from the UN Water Summit on Groundwater 2022 hosted on December 7-11, 2022, in Paris.
The event highlighted the importance of integrated management of water resources for more responsible and sustainable use and protection of groundwater, springs, and surface water.
On the occasion, Indonesia also became a permanent member of the World Water Council, and to this end, the state will play an important part as a host in organizing the 2024 World Water Forum in Bali.
To further establish the ministry's role, discussions have been pursued with the Faculty of Geography at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) to unify views based on empirical and factual aspects on the format of land resource governance that is in sync with water resources.
Thus, Indonesia will not only succeed in organizing the 2024 World Water Forum but will also gain significant benefits in the formulation of holistic water resources management.
Dean of the Faculty of Geography at Gadjah Mada University Danang Sri Hadmoko detailed the strategic value of the karst ecosystem as a supplier and water reservoir for domestic needs and that it was estimated that water supply of around 25 percent of the world's population was sourced from karst.
The area also possesses land resources that can be utilized for community welfare from tourism activities, mining of minerals, and swallow's nests production.
Karst areas make up for nearly 20 percent of Indonesia's total area.
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Translator: Prisca T V, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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