Jakarta: Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian emphasized the importance of regional governments’ contribution to water management at the Local and Regional Government (LRG) session of the 10th World Water Forum in Bali on Wednesday.
“In the first two days of this international forum, our leaders have spoken about water-related issues at the international and national levels. Today, we discuss the role of regional governments in water management,” he said in a statement issued by his ministry on Wednesday.
Karnavian said that there were two main themes of the LRG session, which was attended by representatives from regional governments, domestic and international associations, and international organizations.
The first theme was water as a global common good, in which the participants were expected to build joint commitments to tackle water risks, which are a big threat, he said.
The second theme was sustainable water infrastructure management and financing strategies. He noted that the lack of financing for supporting infrastructure development, especially clean water infrastructure, is another important problem that must be resolved promptly.
Karnavian said that based on the ministerial declaration and the ministerial meeting of the forum, several guidelines and measures can be pursued by regional governments to contribute to water management.
These include developing policies oriented toward achieving water security; improving water governance and diplomacy; as well as improving water quality and providing good access to safe drinking water for everyone so that people’s rights to water are guaranteed.
Other forms of contribution comprise developing long-term infrastructure investment through innovative measures and sources of financing; encouraging all forms of inter-regional and inter-country cooperation; and increasing public awareness and active participation of the community in water and sanitation management.
