Jakarta – The Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono in a written release, Tuesday (7/6) said that to make water use effective and optimise the potential of water resources, “we need to implement smart water management”.
In some areas in Indonesia, impacts of climate change are already being felt, including the availability of groundwater, while polluted rivers and lakes also make the availability of water running low. Significant increase of water demand due to the rapid pace of urbanisation continued as the population continues to grow and the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the issue of climate change, depleted groundwater resources, and the condition of polluted rivers and lakes also add further pressure to the problem of the water crisis. The application of smart water management can minimise conflicts over the use of water to meet the needs of domestic water, irrigation, industry, tourism, flood control, and power plants.
“We will be able to survive that challenge, if we can optimise the available water and adapt to climate change,” he added.
Hadimuljono hopes that every country in the world is able to prepare for the development of the competence of young engineers to be able to answer challenges in the global water resources sector. In this regard, smart water management is required using well-calibrated data, technology, and innovation.
“We really need young engineers who are ready with a certain creativity so that they can quickly utilise and master new technology,” he said. (Hartatik)
