Strengthening Water Security in Medan City Through Collaboration Between Medan and Yokohama City

Consistent access to safe water is crucial in many urban centers, and Medan City is no exception. Although Indonesia has an ambitious goal of achieving 100% safe water supply by 2025, the city's water coverage rate, managed by Perumda Tirtanadi (Water Utility of North Sumatera Province), currently sits below 80%.
Behind this low coverage rate, there are issues such as insufficient treated water volume, low water pressure, deteriorating facilities, and inadequate distribution management. These hinder not only 24-hour water supply but also basic access to water in some areas. Furthermore, existing water treatment plants face challenges like high raw water turbidity, improper water quality and insufficient volume to cover the water demand.
In response to these pressing issues, the Yokohama Waterworks Bureau, which has collaborated with the PERUMDA Tirtanadi since 1987, has intensified its technical support. Building on a long-standing cooperative relationship (including training programs and disaster recovery assistance), PERUMDA Tirtanadi formally requested a resumption of technical assistance from the Yokohama Waterworks Bureau in 2016 and 2017 to address water distribution and treatment problems.

This JICA Partnership Program, implemented from April 2023 to April 2026, aims to improve water distribution management and water treatment process in Medan. It intends to establish an appropriate water distribution management system and seek to reduce water treatment losses by enhancing water treatment efficiency, which helps the city's water supply capacity. And through these activities, they aim to enhance the skills of staff of PERUMDA Tirtanadi.
Mr. Ewin Putra, Water Supply Director of the PERUMDA Tirtanadi, expressed strong willingness to cooperate in this project. The project will foster knowledge sharing and efficient human resource development by having young and veteran staff collaborate within the technical team. This includes dispatch of personnel to Yokohama, Japan for knowledge acquisition and training. The first training in 2023 focused on learning overall operations of the Yokohama Waterworks Bureau, while the second course in 2024 centered on more on-site technical training. The third course, scheduled for August 2025, aims to enhance understanding of Yokohama Waterwork’s initiative in both distribution and purification management and have active discussion between both parties to achieve the goal of this project.

Regarding water distribution issues, a key technical support of this project is the introduction of a “Block System” for effective water distribution management. By adopting this system, they are able to accurately monitor water inflow and outflow in each block. It also provides data on pressure, and consumption within each block. Accordingly, they can level and control water pressure, distribute water efficiently, consequently enabling prompt identification of water leaks including illegal pipe connections and efficient repair or countermeasures. It is expected that it eventually supports PERUMDA Tirtanadi in decision-making for operational improvements, planning, and resource allocation.

Concerning water treatment, activities are carried out at the Sunggal Water Treatment Plant, as a pilot site, which draws its raw water from the Belawan River. Project activities include confirming treatment methods, water quality, status of facility/equipment management. Chemical dosing, operational process and facilities structure are also be reviewed. Furthermore, they jointly review and revise the water treatment plant's operation and maintenance procedure, including daily checklists. Subsequently, the Yokohama Waterworks Bureau proposes optimal operation and management methods for effective treatment and facility improvements.

Through this partnership, the PERUMDA Tirtanadi will address its water-related challenges and strive to achieve the national goal of 100% access to safe water.