Inclusive Development Approach to Urban Water Services in Jakarta

Abstract

The lack of a reliable piped water network in Jakarta causes the ongoing exploitation of groundwater. Thus, the government should provide inclusive clean water for all residents. This study aims to review the literature on the inclusive development approach on water services across urban contexts to provide recommendations for the local government. Since the inclusive development approach to water and sanitation is relatively new, the study employs a narrative review method to learn best practices from several cities across the globe. Studies showed that other cities faced a similar problem in providing piped water systems, leading to the reliance on groundwater sources. Some recommendations can be drawn from the study. First, the local government should increase water supply by piped water networks to low-income families in poor neighbourhoods. Second, subsidizing the poor should also be included in the system. Third, strict rules and regulations on groundwater use should also be applied to all to save water and the environment. Fourth, the collaboration between citizens and the government by encouraging community participation in decision making can empower citizens, especially women, to increase their knowledge on water use and their right to have clean water.

The Effectiveness of Community Participation in Urban Water Supply: A Narrative Review

“…Based on the evidence on the strengths and weaknesses of community participation, these past two decades, scientists in water management studies tried to employ a more holistic and integrated approach that combines both approaches [7,36]. To employ an inclusive development approach that relies on both a top-down approach in which the government and its agencies try to provide a centralized water supply system for all and the bottom-up approach in which the community actively participates in the development and maintenance of water supply and the government sets up policies and regulations for self-supplied water provision [37].…”