With more than 200 sessions, the 10th WWF focuses on discussing issues including water conservation, clean water, and sanitation; food security; energy; and natural disaster mitigation. In an interview with the press, Firdaus Ali, Senior Advisor in Water Resources to Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing, said that this WWF concentrates discussions on the impact of climate change on water infrastructure and solutions to increase water resource recovery in extreme weather conditions.
Water is a particularly important resource, determining the life of humanity. Even with its vital role in human life and great influence on economic development, water resources are used as a political tool. In fact, competition for water resources has been happening in many areas around the world.
At the 10th WWF opening ceremony in Bali, Indonesian President Joko Widodo affirmed that without water, there is no food, no peace, and no life, so water must be managed well as every drop is precious.
Research by the Centre for Global Development shows that if climate change continues the current trends, 50 million people across Africa could be pushed into water shortages by 2050. With high demand for water resources, water prices will skyrocket across Africa. Ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, one of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that by 2050, an estimated 500 million farmers will be among the most vulnerable to drought. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), about one-third of all rivers in Latin America, Africa and Asia are severely affected by pollution. Water resource deterioration and pollution come from many causes. In addition to natural factors such as harsh weather, the blame for this problem has also been placed on human activities such as urbanisation, population explosion, pollution due to domestic and medical waste, construction activities, industrial development, unsustainable agricultural production, and others.
The 10th WWF is one of the last large-scale international events that the administration of Indonesian President Joko Widodo hosts before the end of his term. Therefore, the successful organisation of a major international forum on water is also an important imprint in the Indonesian leader’s term.
Through the forum, Indonesia aims to become a model for other countries in effective management of water resources. The Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing said that this agency will soon introduce a water infrastructure model to support agriculture and food production, which can be a model for other countries’ reference.
The Indonesian government is promoting the establishment of a Global Water Fund to provide long-term financial support for clean water and sanitation initiatives, as well as funding water-related disaster response programmes in developing country. Indonesia built a water museum to honour the value of water resources near the Subak Museum in the country’s Banjar Anyar Village.
President of the World Water Council Loic Fauchon called for countries to make the Earth a place where people and nature live in harmony for peace and prosperity. At the same time, he proposed solutions to protect water resources, including incorporating water issues into national laws and the regulations of localities. Amid the urgent need to ensure equitable water access for all people, the forum is expected to make breakthrough commitments to achieve effective water management and use.
