The government of the Republic of Indonesia has actively engaged and supported the river care communities through the National Movement of Water Conservation Partnership (Gerakan Nasional Kemitraan Penyelamatan Air/GNKPA) since its launch by the President in 2005. The National Movement aims to restore the hydrological cycle of watersheds that the reliability of water resources both in quantity and quality of water can be controlled through the empowerment of government, business, society and as well as law enforcement. To achieve this goal, GNKPA activities emphasize the integration of actions from various sectors, regions and stakeholders both the government, business and society in the sustainable management of water resources through water resources conservation, water resources utilization and control of the destructive power of water. To appreciate their works, the Directorate General of Water Resources - Ministry of Public Works and Housing hold a National River Care Community Competition annually.
For the 2022 competition, Dr. Ir. Moch Amron, M.Sc, the chairman of the GWP Indonesia involved as one of the competition jurors. Organized by the directorate of Bina OP (Operation and Maintenance Coaching), currently, the competition is now in the evaluation stages. The evaluation stages started from 11-12 July with the jurors checking all related administration documents and from 13 July – 18 July, the 37 river care communities were given a chance to deliver a 15 minutes presentation.
During the opening remarks on the 13 July event, the Minister’s Expert Staff for Inter-Agency Relations, Mr. Asep Arofah explained that the competition was not held to search for a winner, but to give an appreciation to the community for their contribution in protecting the rivers. He added, that since 2005, the GNKPA has consistently supported the partnership and hoped the competition can be a place for sharing and learning best practices in conserving water through river protection.
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Throughout July, the social media channels of the Directorate General of Water Resources shared the 1-minute video teaser through their Instagram account and uploaded the full video on their respective youtube channel. On the 25th of July, the Instagram account will share the 3 best river care communities. The competition organizer hoped in the future there will be more river care communities involved in conserving water which is the source of life for all of us. -AW-