The ITC Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente has entered the third phase of a joint collaboration with Indonesian and Dutch partners on water resource management issues in Indonesia. For ITC, the continued cooperation is an excellent opportunity to further strengthen its research collaboration with the participating partners from both countries.
Indonesia is a large country and its water management problems are numerous and complex. Water management issues are at the root of many of the country’s wider problems of poverty, gender inequality, environmental degradation and natural disasters. The governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands joined forces to tackle these problems and committed themselves to continuing the collaboration between research institutes related to water.
Mutual contribution, mutual benefit
Since 2011, institutes in the field of water management and meteorology from both countries have been working together under the Joint Cooperation Programme (JCP). Due to the success of the first two phases of the cooperation, both governments decided to invest in a third phase, which will run during 2018 and 2019. The Indonesian government has earmarked capacity and funds for this purpose. The government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is supporting the collaboration with a grant for the Dutch institutes. The programme will strengthen the position of both the Indonesian and the Dutch institutes in the field of water resources management in Indonesia. The introduction of new technology and knowledge in the Indonesian context will be direct helpful for the Indonesian institutes, while the Dutch partners will also benefit by acquiring experience with applying technology and experience in this setting. The programme provides an excellent opportunity for the researchers to work in a multi-organisational, multi-cultural setting. As quoted by Dr. Ir. Eko Winar Irianto, MT. Director of Research and Development Center for Water Resources (PusAir): We are very happy with the continuation of JCP-III: it gives our staff the opportunity to learn from Dutch experts and together with our partners work on application of new technologies for IWRM.
Focus points
One of the concrete goals of the partnership is the establishment of a Centre of Excellence on Hydro-informatics (Pusat Studi Hidroinformatik). This Centre will provide the basis for a sustained partnership and ensure that JCP knowledge will continue to be available and be used in the future. The partners will also work on the development of a National Hydrological Database, Advanced Water Resources Modelling, Climate Change, Food Security, and Flood and Drought forecasting. The programme will focus on national-scale approaches and also on the application of knowledge and technology in local settings. Upper-Citarum, the upstream part of the Citarum River catchment, will be a leading focus of attention due to its water quality and flooding problems in a highly urbanised environment.
Joint Cooperation Programme
Indonesia and the Netherlands have a long track record of alliances in the field of water research. Their Joint Cooperation Programme was launched in 2011 to strengthen collaboration between the institutes: to enhance capacity building and collaborative development. But also for further introduction of new technologies for water resources management. Deltares and PusAir are the lead partners with responsibility for coordinating the activities and extending knowledge and tools on water resources management. BMKG, Balitbangtan, BPPT, BIG and Lapan, together with their Dutch counterparts KNMI, Wageningen University and Research Centre and the ITC Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente, provide vital knowledge and experience relating to climate, meteorology and food security.
