Watershed is a land area that is unified with its rivers and tributaries, which functions to collect, store, and channel water originating from rainfall to lakes or to the sea naturally, with the land boundary serving as a topographic separator and the boundary at sea extending to areas of water still influenced by land activities.
What are the primary roles and contributions of watersheds to ecosystems and human societies?
There are three main functions of watershed; ecological, economic, as well as social and cultural functions. Ecological functions include; ensuring water flow and quality within the watershed and further downstream, and, providing erosion control, soil fertility, biodiversity, and clean air. Economic functions include; producing food, fuel wood, timber, water, fish, and hydraulic energy, and supporting income generating opportunities to sustain livelihoods. Social and cultural functions include; maintaining social structures, protecting and developing knowledge and lifestyle arrangements, maintaining and revitalizing cultural identity and values, and providing recreational opportunities.
- Improved water quality: Natural landscapes and floodplains act as filters, removing pollutants from water and keeping it healthy for plants and animals
- Carbon Storage Opportunities: Watersheds with intact natural land cover and healthy soil resources have the capacity to isolate carbon, which helps to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gasses in the air
- Increased Resilience to Climate Change: Floodplains and riversides in healthy watersheds can handle extreme weather better through their intact floodplains and riparian areas, making them more resilient to climate change effects like floods and droughts.
WHAT IS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Watershed management is carried out through planning, implementation, community participation and empowerment, funding, monitoring and evaluation, mentoring and supervision, and utilising watershed management information systems. It is an essential effort for maintaining and improving the health of watersheds, especially given the decline in water quality and watershed health in Indonesia due to unsustainable natural resource practices.
Effective watershed management not only focuses on preventing degradation and protecting vegetation but also aims to enhance both blue and green water resources. Blue water, which includes surface water like rivers, lakes, and groundwater, is essential for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial use. Green water, on the other hand, refers to the water stored in soil and vegetation, which is crucial for plant growth, transpiration, and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
By protecting and restoring watersheds, we can increase the availability of both blue and green water, ensuring a more sustainable and resilient water system for future generations. This is why watershed management is a key strategy in addressing Indonesia’s water challenges and promoting responsible water use in both urban and rural areas.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF WATERSHEDS IN INDONESIA?
There are various challenges of watersheds in Indonesia. In the sector of the environment, watersheds in Indonesia face various challenges such as, excess groundwater uptake, excessive use of surface water, reduced water infiltration of soil, and contamination of water supply. In the sector of water management, challenges include conflicts between development policies and watershed analysis, legal and administrative discrepancies, insufficient coordination among sectors, and limited access to funding.
HOW CAN WE PROTECT WATERSHEDS?
There are several actions stakeholders can take to help protect watersheds, such as establishing or strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Forums and engaging in watershed preservation activities.
Multi-Stakeholder Forums (MSF)
Having a strong Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) to maintain a water management system has proven beneficial in many regions in Indonesia. MSFs play a crucial role in coordinating the planning, execution, and monitoring of water preservation activities among key stakeholders. These forums can take the form of formal government-mandated committees, often established under district-level policies, or informal forums that rely on voluntary initiatives and the leadership of local communities or organizations.
MSFs typically include representation from diverse sectors, such as government agencies, private companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local community groups, and academic institutions. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) within MSFs are particularly important for ensuring balanced decision-making and effective resource-sharing.
MSFs’ activities include engaging diverse stakeholders, advocating for stricter watershed policies, constructing water catchment infrastructure, and enhancing local community capacity. Additionally, MSFs can integrate water preservation efforts from water users and local communities by implementing Payment for Environmental Services (PES). This mechanism promotes responsible water consumption and provides fair compensation or incentives to upstream communities for maintaining the environment.
At the regency level, Pasuruan has successfully implemented a PES policy with an official structure, ensuring sustainable water use practices and equitable compensation for upstream communities. This example highlights how local policies can align with broader water management objectives to preserve watersheds effectively.
Payment for Environmental Services (PES)
PES is a voluntary transaction, in the form of incentive or compensation, provided by Water Users (e.g. Private sector, tourism sector, industries) to the Upstream Community to maintain the availability of environmental benefits. It involves various stakeholders with specific roles and responsibilities to ensure the transparency of the scheme.
- Environmental Services Providers: Provide environmental services that develop an impact that will be beneficial to the beneficiaries. An example of an environmental service is by maintaining the function of infiltration wells to infiltrate water into the groundwater, thus replenishing the aquifer. Another example is improving sustainable agricultural practice and increasing green coverage through tree planting to improve water quality and reduce water runoff.
- Intermediary Institution: As a neutral entity to bridge the coordination and implementation of the PES mechanism between the Providers and the Beneficiaries. The responsibility also includes conducting monitoring, evaluation, and verification functions of the provision and the PES
- Environmental Services Beneficiaries: Provide incentives or compensation for the water preservation efforts conducted by the environmental service providers to ensure the availability of water for their operations
A successful case study can be taken from Ayung Lestari Tree Scholarship in Bali, where a tree preservation to regulate water supply is conducted for PES activity. Based on the number of preserved trees, the environmental services providers will receive an education scholarship.
WHAT IS A PRIORITIZED WATERSHED?
DAS Prioritas or a watershed prioritized by the Indonesian government is selected for prioritization for its recovery and intervention process. The determinants of priority watershed categories include, among others, the extent of critical land, the size of forested areas, and forest coverage in the upstream areas, the ratio of maximum and minimum water discharge, population pressure figures, population density, and the presence of vital structures such as reservoirs/dams. According to the Ministry of Forestry’s plan in 2019-2024, 4 watersheds in Indonesia are categorized as prioritized watersheds. They are; Citarum, Cisadane, Ciliwung, and Asahan Toba.