International Research on Water Management

Lombok & Bali, Indonesia

May/June 2013

An International Research Project on

Water Management by Governance students

(Utrecht University & University of Mataram)

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The project is 75% financially supported by both the Utrecht

University and the participating students. But still, funds are

needed to facilitate and proceed with the actual projects on

the grassroots level in Indonesia. We need €10.000,- to

complete our budget, and in return for that we offer you:

Platform; A huge platform to spread your opinions

and image on corporate social responsibility on

young, ambitious, academic and international

orientated students, on the (inter)national media.

Publicity; The articles the students will write,

supported by the professors of both Universities, will

be published and presented on different international

congresses.

Power; Supporting this projects shows that you are

willing to invest in a research within a developmental

environment that tries to create sustainable and

durable analysis and conclusions, which is a sign of

your dedication on developmental research.

Potential; Highly educated students will obtain

information about your organization, and of course

there will be possibilities to inform and contact them

about your values, image and organization as a

potential employer.

Within this document you will find a more specific

explanation of the project; including a range of themes, the

project plan and a financial overview to give insight on the

current lack of funds.

In May and June 2013, twenty academic students of Utrecht

University will start a research in Lombok and perhaps Bali on

ten concrete subjects, all related to the central theme ‘Water

Management’. Themes like water scarcity, fair allocation of

water to consumers and threats like floods determine the

local societal, economic and political climate. More research

is needed on the impact that these problems have on the

local society and which options the communities can consider

countering these problems or threats.

The students are supported by outstanding professors from

both Universities. Their goal is to publish a groundbreaking

research, which will be presented in conferences in both

Indonesia (Lombok, Java) and Holland (Utrecht, Amsterdam).

The main aim of the research is to provide developmental

opportunities and create a valuable and substantiated

collection of conclusions for and with the community of

Lombok in the field of Water Management.

Utrecht University is a globally leading university that is:

Ranked according to the Shanghai Ranking of World

Universities:

o 1st in the Netherlands;

o a shared 12th place in Europe;

o a shared 53th place in the world.

Ranked according to the Times Higher Education

Ranking: 2nd in The Netherlands, 18th in Europe

and 68th in the world.

Ranked according to the Higher Education Evaluation

& Accreditation Council (HEEFCE): 9th in Europe and

46th in the world.

Utrecht School of Governance

The Utrecht University School of Governance (USG) studies

public organizations and their interaction with the social and

administrative environment. This may concern public

organizations such as government institutions, but also

private organizations with public duties such as hospitals,

housing corporations and service companies. Our main focus

is how these organizations deal with current social issues and

give shape to their public responsibility.

In the higher education surveys, the Public Administration

and Organization Science program continues to be very highly

esteemed, both by USG students and by professors and

senior lecturers from other institutions. For more information

about the Utrecht School of Governance and Utrecht

University, click here.

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a Range of possible themes

The main theme of the Research Project is Water

Management. One of the main goals of the Research Project

is to contribute to the knowledge of Water Management in

Indonesia, Lombok. In order to conduct a research that is

relevant for the local population we had, and we will continue

to have, meetings with local administrators and other experts

who are involved in Water Management in Lombok. These

discussions revealed the tensions and problems concerning

Water Management, which will be the main focus of the

research. Lombok struggles with the governance of water on

different levels and has to deal with different interests. Ten

researches are conducted in subthemes.

Lombok has to deal with many issues concerning water. On

one hand there is a shortage of water and on the other hand

water is a threat for the island, in the form of floods and

tsunami’s. There are many different interests on Lombok.

Farmers need water to irrigate their rice fields, rice that is

necessary for the food supply on the island, but on the other

hand the population needs water for daily use. Then there are

other parties which are using water for other purposes like

tourism and production. The government has to deal with the

distribution of the scarce water. When governing the island

they have to take the religious and cultural values of the

population into account. When it comes to regulating the

issues concerning water, official regulations and interventions

often don’t work as efficient as involving the values central to

the community. But values differ from village to village so this

is a time-consuming process. In which way can Lombok

distribute the water in a way that the impact of the shortage

of water is limited? And how can the government deal with

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the importance of cultural and religious values in governing

Lombok? How does the regional government deal with this

mutual incompatible goals?

These are questions that we hope to (partly) answer in our

research. To give the research a clear structure and make the

smaller researches fitting under the overarching research we

determined two fields of research and three levels of

questions. The researches will take place on two fields of

water management; Agricultural water management and

management of drinking water and sanitation. Furthermore

there are three levels, main themes, on which research will

be conducted.

Governance

Indonesia, like the Netherlands, has different levels of

government. Decisions made on national level can have a big

impact on the region. For instance, the national government

decided to aim at expanding tourism at Lombok. Tourism

however, demands lots of water that Lombok is already short

of. This means that other sectors, like agriculture or villages

will suffer from this national decision. What options does

Lombok have to deal with this national policy? And how can

they influence the process of policy making on higher levels?

Students who choose this level of research may focus on

issues concerning decentralization, policymaking, the

implementation of policy or research the question whether

several aspects of water management are a public

responsibly. Lombok for instance struggles with national

policy that states Lombok should emphasize on tourism

whereas Lombok can hardly fulfill the water needs for

agriculture, drinking water and sanitation.

Supply and demand

All individuals on Lombok have different interests concerning

water. Some part of the population mainly needs water for

drinking water or sanitation whereas other groups need the

water for making money with the cultivation of rice or other

crops. Students who choose this level of research will focus

on exploring the different demands for water, the supply of

water and how the often scarce water is distributed among

the various parties.

Culture

Researches on the third level of this research are about

cultural aspects interfering with water management. How

does the local culture influence the way people deal with

issues concerning water? How do policy makers deal with

cultural aspects? How does the upcoming tourism at Lombok

influence water issues? These are questions that can be

researched on the third level of the research.

These and many more questions will be answered trough

researching ten smaller subthemes. Note that the subthemes

on the next page are no more than potential research

subjects and there is still room to add new interesting themes

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Rice Fields

How do the farmers of rice fields protect themselves against

floods and natural disasters that can destroy their rice fields?

And on the other hand, how do they handle the water

scarcity and distribution of water?

The Social Value of the ‘Embung’

In Lombok, certain dams are built by local communities to

catch rain water. Those little pools, which provide the

communities with water supply, are called embungs. Besides

being a vital water supply for the local communities, these

embungs are places where people gather and therefore they

have a certain social value in the community. Research can be

done on how the allocation of water can be reformed to

supply the community more efficiently. What kind of social

value is created with these embungs to see if this is a concept

that should be used more frequently?

Consequences for local people

Ultimately, water is managed to fulfill people with needs.

What do the local people notice of Water Management?

What do they think about it? What are the consequences of

the water scarcity for locals in their daily life? Do they know

where to go with questions? Is the government within reach

for them?

Policy on floods

“Up to 4 million people and approximately 25% of the city will

be affected by inundation from the sea within the next 15

years if no measures are taken” (Project Jakarta). This could

be a cooperation with Deltares, KNMI, Indonesian institutes

like BMKG (the weather) en PusAir (water research). Subjects

like flood- and dryness management will be investigated. An

advice about creating warning system about floods and

dryness in Indonesia could be developed by the research

couple.

Local NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) / SME (small and medium-sized enterprise)

How do local NGO’s and entrepreneurs deal with natural

disasters and with the distribution of water? What are the

kinds of problems these organizations have to deal with?

What does the government do to support them? To what

extend do organizations support each other and protect each

other against floods or the unequal supply of water? One

research couple could bury themselves in a local NGO or an

small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) in Lombok. The

research couple could investigate how the NGO or SME copes

with natural disasters and water scarcity. This subject could

also be investigated by more than one couple, or in

cooperation with more than one NGO or SME.

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Testimonials

dr. W.E. Bakker

Wieger Bakker is associate professor in public policy and

public administration at the Utrecht University School of

Governance and director of the undergraduate school. In

2012 he was elected as one of the eight excellent teachers

of Utrecht University and granted a Teaching Fellowship.

"The bi-annual student ‘research project’, is unique in his

kind. To my opinion it is one of the best examples of what an

academic community with students in an ideal situation can

bring about. A project developed by 8 (experienced) students,

for 20 bachelor students in the last phase of their

programme; selecting a societal issue that is topical both on a

domestic and an international level; building up knowledge by

study and empirical research in a different country,

connecting with lecturers, professors and relevant parties in

society at home and abroad, reporting on it in articles and a

book, organizing a conference on the results, this all together

leads to a comprehensive and intensive learning experience

without comparison.

The topic of the research project 2013, Water Management

at Lombok, Indonesia, is addressing one of the worlds biggest

challenges for the coming decades. It is about global public

goods, but it focuses on the local and the grass roots level

too. It is about public administration and organization, but

from the perspectives of the needs of the people.

Given these characteristics and given the enthusiasm of the

students involved, I highly recommend the research project

2013."

Hayyan Ul Haq

PhD, professor and researcher at the University of Mataram

"I fullheartedly support Utrecht students to involve in this

international research together with students in Mataram,

Lombok. This scientific activity will provide valuable

advantages for international young learners not only to

strengthen the academic and institutional cooperation

between the two universities, but also to share information,

experience, knowledge, values and spirit towards individual

and collective enlightenment."