KBRN, Jakarta: The Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono, encouraged the participation and contribution of young generations worldwide to ensure the success of the 10th World Water Forum. Minister Basuki mentioned that several challenges threaten the availability of clean water supply due to rapid population growth.

“Uncontrolled development, and global climate change. Approximately 2.1 billion people still live without access to water,” Minister Basuki said during the Young Water Sustainability Leaders’ Summit 2024 webinar in Jakarta on Monday (25 March 2024).

According to him, 80% of the population living in rural areas still uses water from inadequate sources. Challenges such as increasing water demand, water pollution, water-related disasters, and water injustice persist.

“Last year, we witnessed a prolonged drought caused by El Niño, which resulted in rice scarcity in the country. We also recently observed levee breaches in Demak and Kudus due to extreme weather,” said Minister Basuki.

“This issue has been ongoing for several decades and will continue if handled as usual. In addressing these challenges, it is crucial to implement integrated water resource management through strong collaboration,” he said.

Collaboration between the government, parliamentarians, private sector, academics, communities, and the younger generation is one of the key drivers of integrated water resource management. The most significant resource is human capital, particularly the younger generation.

“Therefore, Minister Basuki invites the younger generation to participate actively in the 10th World Water Forum. They should also collaborate with other stakeholders to address all water challenges, both current and potential challenges.”

The 10th World Water Forum will be an excellent opportunity for discussions and knowledge sharing with various stakeholders. It will be an opportunity to seek solutions from strategically important countries and implement them to address various challenges in the field of water resources.

Source:

https://rri.co.id/nasional/606597/menteri-pupr-dorong-partisipasi-generasi-muda-dalam-wwf