Water Accounting and Allocation Training II – Water Scarcity Program (WSP)
Following the first Water Accounting and Allocation training held earlier in August, we successfully had the second in-person training from 4th – 8th December 2023 led by the trainers from FutureWater with the support of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas and Ministry of Public Works and Housing. In total, 25 participants attended the training with one trainee joining online.
Aiming to leverage the capacity to take practical steps to address and manage water scarcity while experiencing rapid population growth under a changing climate, this second Water Accounting and Allocation aimed to develop a water account using a variety of geospatial and water resources modelling tools for the Cimanuk basin as an example.
Day 1 and Day 2 – Tools for Water Accounting and Data Collection and Analysis through Remote Sensing.
Mrs. Titih Titisari, from Directorate General Water Resources Bappenas, officially started the second training with her opening remarks. The training modules covered on the first two days focused on assessing data availability and accessibility in the Cimanuk basin.
Participants learnt how remote sensing can be used for informing water resources management decisions and more specifically, how it can complement the Water Accounting approach. By using Google Earth Engine, participants extracted, processed, and analysed differently remotely sensed datasets to assess precipitation, land use and evapotranspiration for the Cimanuk basin, looking at trends during wet and dry seasons.
Day 3 and Day 4 – Working with the WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning System) Model and Scenario Assessment using WEAP.
Through day three and day four, the trainees learnt the basics of Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) model by using the Cimanuk basin as a case study. The training, consisting of hands-on exercises and group work, allowed participants to update the model by improving different input variables and assessing the impact of different interventions and projections on Water Security in the catchment.
Day 5 – Visit Cimanuk Basin.
On the last day of the training, all trainees and trainers visited the Cimanuk Basin in Cirebon, West Java. Prior to the filed visit, the group was welcomed by the Head of Operational Division of Cimanuk Cisangerung River Basin Organisation (BBWS Cimanuk – Cisanggerung). During the welcoming session, the group had the opportunity to share insights from the Water Scarcity Program (WSP), water accounting training and the group work of the trainees. After the presentation from the groups, the WEAP consultant from BBWS Cimanuk-Cisanggerung presented the regulatory framework and the method of formulating catchment water balance in Cimanuk Cisanggerung basin.
This overview results in a productive discussion and enabled participants to realise the usefulness of WEAP for managing water resources in the practical world. After the discussion with BBWS Cimanuk Cisanggerung, the group continued with field visit to Bendung Rentang (Rentang Weir) and water gate of Cipelang. Officials from BBWS Cimanuk Cisanggerung shared the challenges and upgradation of the Rentang Weir. The presentation provided the group with practical information that would be helpful for further strengthening the WEAP model. With this, the field visit came to an end and the group returned to Jakarta.
This water accounting training will be followed up with the second Water Accounting Roadmap (WARM) Workshop in January where the group will come together again to start preparing the pilot water accounting and allocation for the Cimanuk Cisanggerung basin. This workshop will be led by the Alluvium team and is planned for mid-January 2024.
For more information, please contact (Mr) Fany Wedahuditama: fany@ws-indonesia.org and/or fany.wedahuditama@gwpsea.org
This Water Accounting and Allocation Training II is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Water Partnership and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
