Responding to President's Directive, BRIN Accelerates Research-Based Water Technology

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is strengthening the provision of water technology to address the impacts of climate change, following up on a directive from President Prabowo Subianto. BRIN Head Arif Satria introduced various research-based technologies as scientific solutions to guarantee water availability for communities, agriculture, industry, and disaster management through an approach covering the entire hydrological cycle, from the atmosphere and land to coastal and marine areas. “The sustainability of our civilisation depends on self-sufficiency in managing water. The technology presented by BRIN combines the advantages of basic science with practical applications to ensure every drop of water, whether from clouds, rock crevices, or the ocean, can be optimised for public welfare. This is a tangible manifestation of a water-resilient Indonesia towards Golden Indonesia 2045,” he stated. One technology involves karst speleology exploration and offshore fresh groundwater (OFG). Arif noted this technology can extract rainwater that seeps into karst soil and moves through rock cavities, which act as natural filters, producing a clear and stable water flow. Another approach utilises nuclear technology to read water fingerprints and the Earth’s magnetic resonance. Nuclear technology can be used to detect water molecules that store natural fingerprints in the form of isotopes (such as 18O and 2H), which record elevation, temperature, and rainfall. “BRIN also utilises surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). This device, valued at IDR 15.8 billion, uses the Earth’s magnetic field to directly detect hydrogen nuclei signals in groundwater,” Arif said. He further detailed seawater desalination technology for small islands and coastal areas, where BRIN provides seawater desalination systems with capacities ranging from communal to industrial scale (5,000 to over 20,000 litres per day). Another innovation is the Ready-to-Drink Water (Arsinum) technology, a flagship solution for treating marginal water such as coastal peat water, turbid water, and groundwater with high iron, manganese, and hardness levels. BRIN is also introducing Rainwater Harvesting and Ablution Water Treatment technologies, appropriate solutions for public facilities through rainwater harvesting systems and domestic Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). “Tested at the Great Mosque of Wonosari in Gunung Kidul, this system produces stable treated water that can be reused, making it an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solution with minimal sludge residue,” Arif stated. Through these measures, Arif affirmed BRIN’s commitment to strengthening Indonesia’s capacity to face the threat of a water crisis, which is predicted to intensify due to climate change.