2025 IWSH ESSAY COMPETITION: Runner-Up

‘Why should the government and private sector come together to provide improved access to clean drinking water?’

RUNNER-UP 2025 IWSH SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY COMPETITION

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One afternoon, I was reading the news about a new freshwater project in Central Java when my phone buzzed with a notification:

“Rifah, do you remember how we used to get clean water when you lived here? We boil the rainwater every day, the same way I do now. With that big well, of course.”

That was a message from my childhood friend who still lives in Bengkalis, the small district where I spent the first eight years of my life. Her words brought me back to a memory of when I sat with my family as we waited for the rainy season to refill our water tank, boiled the water for drinking, and red water we used for bathing despite its odd smell. Today, I live in a city with clean and fresh water. The contrast between my past and present highlights the fact: safe water should not be a privilege, but it is a right. I believe the collaboration of government and private sector makes a strength to create scalable and enduring solutions.

From District Wells to The City’s Tap

Bengkalis, a small district surrounded by the Bengkalis Strait, is where I understood the challenges of water accessibility. To reach there, we must cross the strait, an invisible boundary between urban privilege and rural scarcity. Despite being surrounded by sea and swamp areas, my family and other communities encountered difficulties in accessing clean water. We depended heavily on rainwater, collecting it into a big well. For drinks, we need to boil it first before putting it into a kettle. Bathing and washing required fetching groundwater that was red and slightly foul-smelling, a side effect of the island’s soil composition and proximity to seawater. Although it was unpleasant, we used it anyway because it was all we had.

In Bengkalis, we ask and pray for clean water. In Pekanbaru, it is a guarantee. This transition has opened my eyes to the equitable access to water. It sparked a question in my head: Why does geography still dictate access to basic human rights?

Scaled Solutions: From Global Crises to Local Collaborations

The challenge of providing clean water and sanitation remains daunting. A 2024 United Nations report published on World Water Day revealed that more than 2.2 billion people still lack safe drinking water, and around 3.5 billion people do not have access to decent sanitation. That means to achieve the universal goal on fresh water in 2030, we need to accelerate the current global rate of progress: six times for drinking water and five times for sanitation. This is not just a future problem; it is an urgent crisis.

However, it also happens in a country with 272.7 million people, Indonesia, surrounded by ocean, yet still lacking access to safe drinking water. Research by the International Journal of Technology reported only 11% of Indonesians have consistent access to safe drinking water; not because of the lack of water, but due to limited infrastructure and weak sanitation systems. In Bengkalis, drinking sea water is not an option, and rainwater must be boiled or it is unsafe due to unsanitary conditions. The water is everywhere but undrinkable.

To tackle these issues, we need to make a thorough plan, encompassing enhanced investment, capacity building, innovation, and cross-sector coordination. Therefore, collaboration between the government and private sector, also known as Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), has proven effective in this regard. For example, the SPAM Semarang Barat project (West Semarang Drinking Water Supply System) is one of the successful collaborations between the local government and the private sector that was launched in 2024. This system now delivers 1,000 liters of clean water per second, enough to reach 70,000 household connections and serve 350,000 people across several areas, including West Semarang, Ngaliyan, and Tugu. Similarly, the Umbulan Spring initiative in East Java, managed by the East Java Provincial Government and Meta Adhya Tirta Umbulan Company, delivers clean water to more than 1.3 million people in Sidoarjo through a PPP model that ensures cost-efficient and sustainable infrastructure.

These examples serve as proof of how partnerships can solve difficulties in supplying clean water, such as limited funding, outdated infrastructure, and logistics. With clear regulation by the government, shared accountability, and innovative technologies, such collaborations open the door to greater scale. This ecosystem brings me to an idea to serve as many people as possible, such as the AQUA ISLE Initiative (Affordable Quality Access for Island & Low-income Environments), not in isolation, but as part of a collaborative national movement toward universal access.

AQUA ISLE Initiative Will Serve National Needs

Building upon these models, I will develop a bold and scalable solution to turn polluted water into clean drinking water in Indonesia. AQUA ISLE will be Indonesia’s first localized seawater-to-drinking water system, powered by environmentally friendly energy and designed for affordability.

I will begin in Bengkalis and other island communities where thousands of people still boil rainwater to drink and rely on colored groundwater for daily needs. The AQUA ISLE system will collect seawater into a large, community-owned tank through a secure piping system built to withstand storms and high salt levels. It aligns with IWSH’s mission to empower communities with sustainable water solutions. After that, seawater will go through three phases:

1. Thermal distillation, powered by concentrated solar panels and biomass boilers, will convert brine into steam and reduce 99.9% of contaminants in water.
2. Condensation and mineral rebalancing, where steam is cooled and filtered through a charcoal and sand system, and remineralized to assure the water’s safety and taste. This will be ready-to-drink water that comes out through an unplasticized poly-vinyl chloride (uPVC) or cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) piping system, ensuring the water delivery is safe and lead-free.
3. AI-powered water quality monitoring by using open-source microcontrollers (such as Raspberry Pi) equipped with sensors to track bacteria levels, temperature, and water volume in real time, accessible to local communities via mobile dashboards to make sure that nothing goes to waste.

The data collected is then processed through AI algorithms to predict and ascertain possible contamination before distributing it to the local people.

AQUA ISLE will go beyond purification; it will repurpose residual byproducts into usable resources for the community.

Waste materials, mainly high-salinity brine and biomass sludge, will be fed into a high-temperature pyrolysis chamber powered by excess solar energy during peak hours. This chamber will break down the organic waste into biochar and generate thermal energy, which is then stored in an insulated water tank and distributed for heating, cooking, or electricity through a low-voltage microgrid.

AQUA ISLE is not just about the technology but the model. Each unit will be community owned and maintained, supported by a training program for local youth to operate and troubleshoot the system. The empowerment journey commences with hands-on workshops where participants learn about the technology’s operational aspects, from the basics of solar panel maintenance to AI-powered monitoring systems. These sessions go beyond technical skills; they also cultivate analytical reasoning, problem- solving, and project management skills to prepare youths to lead their community’s water security efforts. The use of local materials and solar power will keep operating costs below $0.01 per liter, which is affordable even for lowincome households.

I will begin in Bengkalis, then Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau), and eventually spread to all 17,000 islands in Indonesia. AQUA ISLE will transform into a social enterprise, reinvesting profits to expand infrastructure, fund clean water education, and partner with schools, health clinics, and local governments. By 2035, my goal is to provide reliable and safe water to 600 million people across Southeast Asia. Reliable water infrastructure is not just about hydration but also about building resilience. In flood-prone and water-scarce areas like Bengkalis, clean water systems will remain functional during emergencies. In addition, access to clean water can also reduce the prevalence of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, improve school attendance (especially for girls), and strengthen local economies.

By investing in Public-Private-Community Partnerships (PPCP) like AQUA ISLE, I will create solutions that are locally led, data-driven, and scalable. AQUA ISLE will not only provide clean water but also provide jobs for local citizens and improve national livelihoods.

It will exemplify the strength of cross-sector collaboration. The government will support through regulation, land access, and financial funding that will make a foundation for implementation. The private sector will provide the technology and productivity optimization to drive sustainable development, while local communities will ensure that the solution meets their needs. Together, AQUA ISLE will not only be innovative but also inclusive, adaptable, and build to last.

Conclusion

The red-colored water of my childhood is no longer just a memory but a vision. This vision ensures that safe drinking water is not just a privilege strictly based on geography or income but a right upheld by design, innovation, and collective action. With more than 2.2 billion people lacking access to clean drinking water, realizing Sustainable Development Goal No. 6 by 2030 will require six times more effort in global progress.

That is why I want to build AQUA ISLE not just as a solution for the citizens of Bengkalis but as a model of how innovation led by a woman and community-powered innovation can meet the world’s most urgent needs. By combining clean technology, local empowerment, and cross-sector collaboration, I will not just solve for water but solve for equity, resilience, and the right to thrive. Providing access to clean water does not just solve a need, it fulfills a potential for a better future.

Last modified: July 14, 2026