Empowering local water management through learning and collaboration was the spirit of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Training held on 28–29 October 2025 at Balai Pusdiklat IV Bandung. Co-organized by Blue Deal Indonesia, The Water Agency (TWA), and BPSDM, the training brought together representatives from Kabupaten Tangerang, Kota Pekalongan, Kabupaten Pekalongan, and Kota Semarang, along with partners from Bappenas, PU SDA, Bappeda Banten, Bappeda Jawa Tengah, and BBWS.
Day 1: Understanding IWRM and the Catchment Approach
The first day focused on strengthening participants’ grasp of IWRM principles and how they apply to water governance. Bapak Raymond Valiant, Regional Coordinator for Global Water Partnership – Southeast Asia (GWP-SEA), led a session on the foundations of IWRM and its relevance to Indonesia’s basin-based management system. Participants examined why the catchment scale (wilayah sungai) is essential for sustainable planning and discussed how Indonesia’s operational anchors, Pola, Rencana, and Program/Kegiatan, create a logical flow from policy to implementation. Throughout the discussions, participants also identified key challenges in applying IWRM principles under growing institutional pressures. They recognized that while frameworks exist, the success of implementation depends on alignment between national strategies, local priorities, and cross-sectoral cooperation.
In the afternoon, Bapak Praya Arie Indrayana and Ibu Carrina Lim facilitated a group workshop using a Teluk Balikpapan case study from Kalimantan. Through the problem tree method, participants mapped out the causes and effects of complex water issues, linking environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The exercise encouraged systems thinking and emphasized the importance of viewing challenges through a river-basin perspective, rather than administrative boundaries.
Day 2: Learning from Practice and Building Collaboration
The second day began with a session led by Veerle from Blue Deal Indonesia, who reintroduced the three-layer Water Governance framework consisting of the knowledge, institutional, and relational layers. Drawing on examples from the Netherlands, she illustrated how integration among these layers supports effective water governance and how similar approaches could inspire Indonesian contexts. Participants revisited lessons from the Water Governance Webinar held on 30 September 2025, linking conceptual insights with practical realities.
Following Veerle’s session, Ibu Dwinanti Rika Marthanty, Assistant Professor at Universitas Indonesia, presented on stakeholder participation and institutional roles in IWRM. Her session guided participants to identify and classify stakeholders beyond government actors, emphasizing inclusivity, transparency, and shared accountability. Participants also learned how the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle can be applied to improve decision-making and ensure adaptive management.
In the afternoon, Bapak Praya Arie Indrayana and Ibu Carrina Lim facilitated an interactive role-playing workshop that simulated real-world water governance discussions. Participants assumed roles such as meeting leader, local government official, fisherman, NGO representative, academic, media, and business owner. The exercise encouraged empathy, active listening, and multi-perspective understanding of water-related conflicts and opportunities for collaboration.
By the end of the two-day program, participants left Bandung with renewed understanding, new connections, and practical tools to strengthen water governance in their regions. The IWRM Training demonstrated how technical knowledge, institutional awareness, and human collaboration must work together to create sustainable water management. As one participant noted, effective governance begins not only with plans and policies but with people willing to learn from one another and act together for the benefit of Indonesia’s water future.
