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Bridging Rivers and Nations: Yusron Dwi Mangestika’s Path to Sustainable Water Management
When Yusron Dwi Mangestika joined an Australia Awards Short Course, the experience revealed shared challenges in water management, transforming his approach and opening new possibilities.
‘The course helped me see water management from a new angle,’ said Yusron, who is a Water Resources Management Officer at Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works (PU). ‘My work focuses mostly on upstream issues like dams, irrigation, and flood control, but in Australia, I learned how crucial downstream management is for sustainability.’
During his time at the Australia Awards Short Course on Water Utility Regulatory Approach at Griffith University in 2024, Yusron and his fellow participants visited Wivenhoe Dam, Brisbane’s largest water supply dam. Managed by Seqwater, it serves as both a drinking water source and flood mitigation infrastructure. The site visit left a strong impression on him.
‘In Indonesia, water management involves many agencies, sometimes with overlapping roles. At Wivenhoe, I saw a clear governance structure, how different functions, from flood management to public engagement, align under one integrated system,’ he reflected.
This understanding of holistic management, connecting upstream and downstream activities, became one of the key takeaways he brought back to Jakarta.
From Citarum to Brisbane: A Story of Two Rivers
As part of his course requirements, Yusron and fellow awardees, Sarah Irhamillah and Yuniar Fazriani (Ministry of Public Works, Directorate General of Human Settlements), and Ramdhan Priandono (Water Utility, Perumda Air Minum Tirta Raharja) created an Award Project titled Citarum Integrated Management and Transformation Framework, a comparative study between Indonesia’s Citarum River and Australia’s Brisbane River.
As one of Indonesia’s most critical yet most polluted rivers, the Citarum serves around 27 million people and provides 80% of Jakarta’s raw water supply. Meanwhile, the Brisbane River, once facing its own pollution challenges a century ago, now stands as an example of successful recovery.
‘We wanted to see what lessons could be adapted from Brisbane’s experience. Both rivers face pressures from domestic waste, industrial activity, and rapid urbanisation. The difference is that Brisbane managed to turn things around,’ he said.
Working with colleagues from PU’s Directorate General of Water Resources and Perumda Air Minum Tirta Raharja, a Bandung-based public water utility, Yusron’s team conducted benchmarking through site visits, data comparisons and literature reviews.
Their final outputs were a policy paper and a short educational video comparing water management strategies between the two rivers.
‘We did not just want a technical paper. We wanted something to help policymakers and the public to easily understand why Brisbane succeeded, and what it means for Citarum’s future,’ Yusron explained.
The study concluded that the Citarum Harum program, Indonesia’s flagship river revitalisation initiative, could accelerate its impact by adopting a hybrid approach that combines top-down governance with bottom-up community participation.‘Infrastructure is essential, but behaviour change and public awareness are equally important. That is one of Brisbane’s biggest lessons,’ Yusron noted.
Translating Findings to Strengthen Policy
Upon returning to Indonesia, Yusron presented the Award Project at internal discussions and regional forums. He offered evidence-based recommendations for the second phase of Citarum Harum, integrating the Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) model and local empowerment strategies.
His recommendations focused on strengthening wastewater management systems, expanding communal treatment facilities, and developing data-driven monitoring tools that ensured more effective pollution control.
He also emphasised the importance of public transparency, proposing open access to real-time water-quality data similar to Australia’s Healthy Land and Water platform. At the same time, he encouraged greater community participation, especially involving women and marginalised groups, to make river governance more inclusive and sustainable.
Both the Brisbane River and the Citarum River flow through flood-prone areas, where, without proper flood management, disasters can occur during periods of heavy rainfall.
Yusron described the ‘pentahelix’ collaboration model as a key to this management. This model, in which government, the private sector, academia, the media, and the community work together, was already in place at Citarum Harum and was further reinforced by new international perspectives.
‘We saw that in Queensland, the government does not work alone. Citizens feel ownership of their rivers. That inspired us to strengthen participation at the village level, especially in areas near critical pollution zones,’ Yusron said.
Initiating Collaboration on Water Management
Beyond his project, Yusron’s time in Australia sparked broader institutional engagement. During post-course follow-ups, he initiated informal communication between the Directorate General of Water Resources and the Australia Water Partnership (AWP), facilitated through contacts at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
‘Our unit did not have any direct collaboration with Australia before. After discussions with Embassy representatives, I thought it would be valuable to start one, especially to exchange technical expertise and explore funding opportunities for water management programs,’ he explained.
The proposed collaboration focuses on capacity building, policy exchange, and knowledge sharing in sustainable water management. Although still in its early stages, this initiative reflects the spirit of the Australia Awards network, building bridges through shared expertise.
‘It is not yet a formal partnership, but conversations have begun. Even small steps matter because they open doors for future cooperation,’ he said.
A New Network to Advance Water Governance
The Short Course also helped Yusron build a strong professional network, especially with fellow awardees. His cohort included fellow engineers and policymakers who continue to collaborate through both informal and professional agendas.
‘We still exchange updates, not only about work but also about opportunities for cooperation. Some of my peers are now in strategic positions, which helps us coordinate inter-agency initiatives more easily,’ he said.
Reflecting on his journey, Yusron believes that the Australia Awards have played a transformative role in both his career and mindset. ‘It gave me knowledge, experience, and perspective,’ he concluded. ‘But most importantly, it reminded me that good water governance depends on collaboration between countries, communities and individuals.’
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