Bali – The holding of the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) in Bali is expected to bring growth to the domestic economy and create investment opportunities related to water infrastructure development.
This was conveyed by the Deputy for Environmental and Forestry Management Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Kemenko Marves) Nani Hendiarti. According to him, investment growth in drinking water pipes is only around 20.6 percent. To increase investment to just 30 percent, the funds that must be spent reach around IDR 123 trillion.
“The 10th WWF will be attended by many countries, this forum should be able to attract new investment in water infrastructure. “To achieve the target of access to safe, fair and affordable drinking water by 2030, investment in drinking water pipes is needed,” said Nani.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Mohammad Zainal Fatah, said that Indonesia would offer a number of strategic water-related projects in the range of US$9.6 billion or Rp. 154 trillion in the 10th WWF. The list of projects is currently being selected and compiled by the Ministry of National Planning and Development (PPN).
“This has combined many proposals, whether they are projects that are already underway or new projects for which funding is already there,” said Zainal.
WWF is the premier international event focused on water issues on the global stage. This forum is held every three years and is attended by stakeholders including the government and the private sector. This year’s WWF theme is “Water for Shared Prosperity”, in line with the global commitment to find solutions for increasing and managing sustainable water resources to face uncertain climate change.
WWF in Bali also raised Sustainable Water Financing as one of its sub-themes, which will discuss mechanisms for financing sustainable drinking water which does not only come from the government but also business entities.
