Infrastructure improvements in Bali are proof of Indonesia’s commitment to being ready to hold WWF 2024
By: Davina G
The 10th World Water Forum in Bali on 18-24 May 2024 is expected to produce various solutions to water problems including sanitation and water-related natural disasters, as well as produce policies that have a direct impact on society in the forum participating countries. Therefore, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked his staff to properly prepare the availability of infrastructure to make the WWF event a success this May in Bali.
The Ministry of Communication and Information (Kemenkominfo) ensures that in preparation for the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) in Bali, the government continues to prepare all infrastructure for the venue. The Indonesian government prepared venues for 300 meetings. The meeting could later take the form of a seminar or workshop .
No less important is the infrastructure resulting from the application of modular weir technology. The Indonesian government highlighted the successful application of modular weir technology at the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) on 18-25 May 2024 in Bali. This technology was developed by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) to increase irrigation productivity in order to maintain water availability and food security.
PUPR Minister and Daily Chair of the 10th WWF National Organizing Committee, Basuki Hadimuljono, stated that innovation and technology are needed in the development of water infrastructure. According to him, the use of appropriate, effective and environmentally friendly technology is encouraged to create added value and sustainable development so that the benefits of infrastructure can be felt by future generations.
One of the Modular Weir technology researchers who also serves as Functional Associate Engineer for the Water Hydraulics and Geotechnical Center of the PUPR Ministry, James Zulfan, explained that this technology uses locked concrete block modules which are specially designed for practicality in the field. With this method, building a modular weir can save construction time and costs by up to 40 percent.
This innovation, which has been registered and received a patent from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, is still being developed and collaborated with labor-intensive programs. The first Modular Weir prototype was built in 2013 on the Cikarag River, West Java Province. After that, modular weirs were implemented on the Kalisade River, West Nusa Tenggara Province in 2016 and on the Gugubali River, Morotai, North Maluku Province in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Regional Secretary of Bali Province, Dewa Made Indra, stated that his party had collaborated with the Bali Province Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) to check a number of infrastructure facilities.
Made Indra added that his party had checked supporting facilities such as traffic signaling devices (APILL) or traffic lights to ensure smooth traffic flow management later when receiving delegations from various countries.
Made Indra also revealed that later on the first day the delegates of the 10th World Water Forum would be invited to witness the Segara Kerthi ritual ceremony, as a symbol of water as an important component of life. The Balinese people themselves have been implementing water management for generations to the point that it has become a component of local wisdom. The Segara Kerthi ceremony will be held on May 18 2024 at Kura-Kura Beach.
Indonesia raised the mission to make water a source of community welfare at the 2024 World Water Forum (WWF), considering the many global water challenges such as scarcity, pollution and natural disasters due to climate change, Indonesia wants to make water a solution to these problems and not a source of conflict .
WWF 2024 will present dozens of countries discussing water resources management and involving various stakeholders. This forum has a mission to provide a platform or forum for all stakeholders in the water sector to discuss, share knowledge and experience, and create concrete ideas for better management and development of water resources.
The 10th WWF has the main message of bringing the issue of water security to the community. Water security itself has a broad meaning and covers a number of different issues which will later be discussed in the WWF 2024 forum. There are two main reasons for holding WWF 2024 in Bali, namely to be able to form a strong commitment at a high level such as in water management, funding water, and to convey high-level messages that can be implemented by the government when the delegation returns to their country.
That way, all these experts, as many as thousands of people and journalists, will be able to carry out and bring concrete solutions, basic solutions, and very specific solutions related to water problems and will be shared throughout the world.
Ahead of this big momentum, security continues to be intensified. Head of the National Police’s SOPS Operations Development Bureau, Brigadier General Pol Auliansyah, stated that the Indonesian National Police (Polri) uses technological devices to optimize security by setting up a post called the 91 Command Center at the Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).
It is hoped that the Government’s success in the eyes of the world can provide an example for other participating countries in overcoming water-related problems. Apart from that, with the success of WWF 2024 there will be an increase in innovative ideas, science and knowledge, as well as concrete ideas to overcome water problems globally.
)* The author is an Activist at the Batavia Young Literacy Forum.
