BALI – Makassar Mayor Moh. Ramdhan “Danny” Pomanto participated in the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) 2024 in Bali.
The event was themed “Local and Regional Governments Champion Transformative Action in A Pivotal Moment of The Global Political Agenda”.
Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian said today’s session discussed the role of regional governments to contribute to water management.
He said that, when it comes to cooperation between countries, it will affect the political system in each government.
Because there are countries that implement democracy, authoritarianism, full decentralization, centralisation, and others – so it will be dynamic.
However, water itself does not recognise this system. Hence, Tito suggested, each party must divide the tasks.
“What’s important is how we treat it, friend or threat? We want to treat it as friends, then we have to share tasks. Central, provincial, and district/city governments must have tasks to do,” he said during the conference after the event at BNDCC Hotel in Nusa Dua, Bali, Wednesday (22/5).
From the experience of Indonesia and other countries, the former National Police Chief said it is necessary to make a joint declaration and guidance for regional governments.
The guidance will have several points regarding education, planning, budgeting, as well as other water issues.
Water should also not be seen as an enemy as floods, droughts, and other disasters occur. “I hope that this input will be taken into consideration,” he said.
Meanwhile, regarding the proposal for a water institution, he said, it was one of the considerations as he is not the authority in it.
Especially seeing the growing number of world population, while the amount of energy or food and water is limited.
Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said that the idea needs to be conveyed more in order to look at the importance of efforts to integrate, synchronize water management affairs from the central to the lowest level.
Moreover, he said, this will not be the first time as there are a number of countries that have previously established institutions like this.
Therefore, instead of adding a new authority body, the national water agency, or whatever it is called, it is expected to be a forum for structuring water management to face the water crisis sooner or later.
“But once again, I do not have the authority to only convey this to international forums. We can discuss it again if there is good and positive value,” he said.
