Water Accounting Roadmap (WARM) II Workshop

12 February 2024
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In the spirit of the new year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, and Ministry of Public Works and Housing successfully held the Water Accounting Roadmap (WARM) second workshop in hybrid setting from 23rd – 25th January 2024 led by Alluvium, an Australian partner of the Water Scarcity Program (WSP). This event was following the previous Water Accounting Roadmap Workshop last year and these three days' workshop attended by 25 offline and 7 trainees joining online.

Day 1 – Defining the purpose and scope of the data collection, processing, and storage in a national approach.

To officially start the workshop, Mrs. Titih Titisari from the Directorate General Water Resources of the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), gave her remarks in the hope that the next three days of a workshop can provide a strong understanding and basis for preparing efficient water balances and allocation, as well as a strong basis for preparing action plans for managing national water scarcity. In today’s workshop, the focus was to get clarification or identification on how the accounting is legislated at the national level, especially for water accounting is undertaken at a basin level and how both approaches fit. In this day workshop as well, trainees were actively participating in several sessions of discussion which were divided into three.

Photo 1 - Day one of WARM II Workshop

The first discussion was to know the intent of the national level regulation, also the concern for policymakers at different levels, and further consideration. In the second discussion, trainees were discussing to get knowledge on how at the national level to gather data and the type of the data later found that several platforms for data sharing exist, and a lot of the hydrological (water balance) information can be found online.

It is water user info that can be hard to get (actual not allocated), and accounting analysis should be user-friendly. The third discussion was to focus on the water accounting analysis of the model type used and the specific inputs and outputs required. The last was emphasizing the information on the reporting and communications which in Indonesia, a good template for reporting already exists.

Day 2 –WEAP vs RIBASIM, basin level approach, and the Cimanuk Cisanggarung basin.

Opening day two, trainees got an overview of the Cimanuk basin which was explained in detail by Mr. Roni Farfian, representative of the Cimanuk Cisanggarung river basin team, explaining their readiness on annual water allocations plan and detailed water allocations plan such as the mapping and information for irrigation area and supply points, PDAM supply and other water users’ locations. To gather many perspectives, trainees interactively discuss the minimum level of data needed to develop up a water accounting framework.

Photo 2 - Mr Roni Farfian from Cimancis BBWS

It can be found that the Cimanuk Cisanggarung river basin profile is already comprehensive and uses the policy of one map for the river basin and all data are centered in the River Basin Management Center in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry also using the WEAP to model their river basin data. The Cimanuk Cisanggarung is already a good example of how river basin management is well-prepared not withstanding minor updates which may be employed and can be replicated in another river basin in Indonesia.

Day 3 – Reporting and communication.

Photo 3 - Mr. Ir. Juari ME Bappenas

The last day of the workshop was opened by Mr. Ir. Juari ME from the Directorate of Water Resources of the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in the message of hope that these past three days of learning can increase the country capacity to implement the water accounting to translate it into a good plan for river basin. Moreover, for others who cannot join the workshop and to prepare human resources in the future, all material and discussion results are expected to be shared.

Getting into the workshop, trainees were engaged in a group discussion offline and online, to explore what the essential water information for different users’ needs to be disclosed and how to guide for setting up the accounting, later to articulate into a template that can present to another group. This was through by simulating the team as end-user groups, which could include: industry, local government, and irrigation managers.

Afer the discussion and presenting the result from each group, Mr. Ewin Sofian Winata, ST, MEM, the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) gave his word to expect from this event to expect to increase the governance and water accounting for the nation because water security is already become the compass of policy. For instance, the river basin improvement program especially for information, data availability, and other gaps that found in these three days of workshop will be a takeaway for the government to fill through programs and become valuable information and guidance for governments to formulate the national policies and strategies.

Photo 4 - Group Discussion

This Water Accounting Roadmap (WARM) Workshop will be followed up into stage three with a plan to be placed at the end of March 2024 led by the Alluvium team.

For more information, please contact (Mr) Fany Wedahuditama: fany@ws-indonesia.org and/or fany.wedahuditama@gwpsea.org

This Water Accounting Roadmap (WARM) II Workshop is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Water Partnership and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

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