WEPA NewsThe 41st issue

1 November, 2023
The Water Environment Partnership in Asia (WEPA) is an initiative proposed by the Japanese Ministry of theEnvironment. It aims to strengthen water environmental governance and capacity building in Asia. For further
information, please visit the WEPA website (https://wepa-db.net/).

TopicsWEPA Topics
1.

Update of the WEPA Action Program in Lao PDR

2.

Asia Wastewater Management Partnership (AWaP)

3.

Water environment in Indonesia

4.

The 19th WEPA Annual Meeting and International Workshop in Hayama, Japan5.

10th World Water Forum

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1. Update of the WEPA Action Program in Lao PDR
The WEPA Action Program in Lao PDR, funded by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, hasbeen designed to provide technical support to the Department of Natural Resources andEnvironmental Inspection (DNREI) of the Lao Ministry of National Resources and Environment(MONRE), specifically aimed to: (i) conduct baseline surveys and performance reporting ofexisting septic tanks and decentralized wastewater treatment facilities in three major
cities/province in Lao PDR, including Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Khammouan province; (ii)preparation of training materials for proper operation and maintenance of septic tanks anddecentralized wastewater treatment facilities; and (iii) capacity building of relevant and incharged governmental staffs at local level for law enforcement purposes. This action program
has been scheduled for two years (FY2022-FY2023) and it is expected to be completed by theend of FY2023 (March 2024).
Under this program, WEPA Secretariat members made a field visit to Lao PDR from 7-11
August, 2023 to collect water samples at selected sites in Luang Prabang. Water samples werecollected from a septic tank at a temple (with DEWATS facilities), a DEWATS facility at theLuang Prabang Night Market, a high school Joukasou, as well as from nearby public canals. Inaddition, a kick-off meeting for this year's project was held on 10 August, 2023, to gain acommon understanding of the detailed implementation plan for FY2023.

2. Asia Wastewater Management Partnership (AWaP)
Asia Wastewater Management Partnership (AWaP) is a partnership to raise awareness on
wastewater management, promote monitoring of wastewater management, and provide support
to resolve common challenges in partner countries. It was initiated by the Ministry of Land,Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in 2018, in cooperation with MOEJ. The partnershipaims to particularly achieve SDG 6.1 in Asia. WEPA has been collaborating with AWaP, as thetwo organizations share similar objectives, in relation to conserving water resources, throughgovernance and wastewater management. The 3rd General Meeting of AWaP was held inSapporo, Japan, on 1 August, 2023, and partner countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, thePhilippines, and Viet Nam) discussed the upcoming 2nd Work Plan. WEPA Secretariat attended
the meeting and introduced the history and activities to the AWaP partner countries. AWaP
partner countries are all WEPA partner countries, albeit with different ministries in charge. As
such we expect to extend further collaboration to accelerate progress on achieving SDG 6 in theregion.

3. Water Environment in Indonesia
In Indonesia, rivers and lakes play important roles for human society. Indonesia has more than
70,000 rivers and 1500 lakes which hold 500 km3 of water or 72% of the total volume of Indonesiansurface water. Like in many other countries, these lakes and rivers have numerous purposes
related to human life, such as drinking water, and use in agriculture, fisheries, industry,transportation and energy. Lakes and rivers also provide important ecosystem services, they act
as flood control, they can mitigate droughts and climate change, and they also are the location forbiodiversity habitats. River and lakes also have benefits for ecotourism, education and research.
Lake and river ecosystems in Indonesia support agricultural production, freshwater fisheries,hydropower electricity, tourism experiences, freshwater availability, and cultural and religious sites.

Indonesia is facing an exponential rise in water demand and pollution due to its growing population,and the country is seeing expanding industrialization and economic growth, as well as increasing
agricultural activities. The decline in environmental quality also remains a serious threat to
ecosystem services, particularly in the provision of water, which is critical for ensuring food security.
Back in 2009, the Government of Indonesia identified 109 river basins that are consider polluted.
Fifteen river basins have now been prioritized, in Indonesia’s Medium-Term Development Plan(RPJMN) 2020-2024. These are Asahan Toba in North Sumatra, Siak in Riau, Musi in South
Sumatra, Citarum, Cisadane, Ciliwung in West Java and Jakarta, Sekampung in Lampung, Serayu
and Bengawan Solo in Central Java, Brantas in East Java, Kapuas in West and Central Kalimantan,
Saddang in West and Central Sulawesi, Jenebarang in South Sulawesi, Moyo in West Nusa
Tenggara and Limboto Bone Bolango in North Sulawesi.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry Indonesia (MoEF) initiated a concept of “creating sharedvalue” by sharing positive value in the community. They encouraged reinforcing the establishmentof community-based institution to manage eco-riparian areas and involving the community onactivities such as planning, workshops, community organizations, and program implementation.
Most riparian areas in Indonesia used to be widely utilized as temporary dumping sites for domesticand construction waste. Domestic waste water from densely populated areas used to bedischarged into waterways without proper management. The most commonly used waste
management facility are septic tanks.
Citarum River is one of fifteen priority river basins in Indonesia. Citarum is the longest and largest
river in West Java, Indonesia, stretching in 297 kilometers before reaching the Java Sea. In 2018,
waste regulation was introduced with the President Decree RI No 15 Year 2018 on Pollution andDamage Control Acceleration in Citarum River Basin. Citarum experienced environment pollution
and damage due to domestic and industrial activity in riparian areas, i.e. waste from agriculture,fam, fishery and domestic waste (waste water and domestic litter).
One of the areas situated on the banks of the Citarum river is Karawang Regency. This area is thelocation of the densely populated Bintang Alam Housing Complex, which did not have access to acentralized wastewater treatment system, and contained many unmanaged waste dumping sites.
In order to restore water quality, measures must be taken to ensure that rivers are not used todump pollutants that will damage the river ecosystem. To this end, Bintang Alam Eco-riparian site
was established in 2020 in the housing complex and has installed pollution control facilities to deal
with existing pollutants, as well as other environmental facilities which do not disturb the existingecosystem. The site also has become a tourist attraction managed by the public community andhas thus improved the economy of the area. The concept of the Eco-riparian site on the riverbank
is to utilize open space without reducing its main function as a conservation area. Bintang Alam
Eco-riparian site functions as a green open park, a means of environmental education, and a place
for social interaction, while also improving the circular economy of the community.
Benefits created by establishing the Eco-riparian site:
1. Biocord wetland wastewater treatment plant is capable of treating household wastewater for up
to 2000 households.
2. Greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by around 1.8 tons of CO2 per year.
3. Pollutant loads have been reduced by 34.03 tons of BOD per year
Various measures already carried in the Citarum River are:
• Water quality monitoring (manual and automatic)• Community empowerment

Objective of Eco-riparian development:
1. To rehabilitate riparian functions to safeguard the habitats for wildlife.
2. To provide green infrastructure which enhances eco-riparian functions as water filtration,erosion control, and waste water treatment.
3. To develop capacity for communities to independently manage eco-riparian infrastructure.

Pak Witono (Water Pollution Control, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia, 12 October,2023)

4. The 19th WEPA Annual Meeting and International Workshop in Hayama,Japan
The WEPA Secretariat and MOEJ, will organize the 19th WEPA Annual Meeting andInternational Workshop on 30 January - 1 February 2024 in Hayama, Japan. These events will
be held in a hybrid style, in person and online.
The Annual Meeting aims to share WEPA’s activities during FY2023 and present the status of
the water environment in partner countries. The International Workshop will provide opportunities
for representatives from partner countries to learn about how other countries revise their policies
to improve the water environment, followed by a workshop to discuss future activities.
The agenda and other details of the meeting will be announced in due course.

5. 10th World Water ForumThe 10th World Water Forum (WWF10) will take place in Bali,
Indonesia, 18-22 May 2024, under the main theme of Water for
Shared Prosperity. The WEPA Secretariat plans to contribute toWWF10 by participating in two thematic sessions, 2A: Water
Quality Improvement and 4A: Governance, Cooperation andHydro-diplomacy. We will provide more details of thesesessions at the 19th WEPA Annual Meeting and International Workshop.
More information at https://worldwaterforum.org/

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have any related information, please send it to the WEPA Secretariat by email <WEPA_secretariat@iges.or.jp >.
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