REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DELFT - The Jakarta administration and the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, are strengthening their ties for improving integrated urban water management through the training program called "The Dutch Training and Exposure Programme."

"The program is managed by a Dutch institution, Nuffic Neso Indonesia, in terms of selection and preparation before departure from Indonesia," Director of Nuffic Neso Indonesia Mervin Bakker said in a written statement on Wednesday.

Bakker affirmed that the program was part of the sister city agreement signed in September 2013 between Jakarta Mayor Joko Widodo and Rotterdam Mayor Aboutaleb. In accordance with this agreement, both cities agreed to work together on integrated urban water management, including capacity building and knowledge exchange.

The program focuses on integrated urban water management and provides an opportunity to the Jakarta city administration staff to imbibe the best practices adopted for water management in the delta city of the Netherlands for a period of three months.

The participants will observe and partake in the day-to-day activities of the community in the city of Rotterdam and Delfland Water Board in the Netherlands, which will enable them to draw comparisons and understand how other organizations are tackling the same problems in a different context.

University of Rotterdam's Department of Applied Science will take on the responsibility of supervising and guiding the participants during the program.

"This program is a perfect example of new ways of promoting bilateral cooperation, in which higher education institutions and the governments work closely in the execution of projects and programs and in which, all the involved organizations contribute something to make it a success," stated Bakker.

According to Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd F. de Zwaan, this program is the fruit of cooperation between the two delta cities of Rotterdam and Jakarta.

"It is also part of a broader cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands with regard to water management. The cooperation is not limited to both central governments but brings together a wide range of actors, science institutes, companies, NGOs, and local governments," Zwaan remarked.

Besides this, Jakarta, Surabaya, and Semarang were also working closely with the government and the Dutch water management bodies, Zwaan pointed out.

Meanwhile Jakarta Vice Governor Tjahaja Basuki Purnama emphasized that the program is a good opportunity, especially for the young staff of the city government, to study in the Netherlands.

"It can be part of a strong foundation to change and build a new Jakarta," Basuki stressed.

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