A Day of Growth, Groove, and Great Ideas
Wetskills-Indonesia 2025 – blog 4 – Today’s Wetskills journey was a perfect mix of learning and fun. We kicked off with a dynamic training on the Business Model Canvas, a…
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Wetskills-Indonesia 2025
June 8 - June 19
Follow our Wetskills event in Semarang, Indonesia!!
Semarang, a coastal city in Indonesia, is facing various water challenges that threaten its development and resilience. Issues such as land subsidence, frequent flooding and problems with wastewater management, are becoming more severe due to rapid urbanization and climate change. These problems not only affect infrastructure and the environment, but also the quality of life for residents.
For this event in Semarang, Wetskills was bringing together 24 young talents from around the world, to collaborate and co-create innovative solutions. They tackled real-life case studies related to coastal flooding, groundwater depletion, non-revenue water, wastewater reuse, and flood basin planning. The participants combined technical insights with out-of-the-box thinking, supported by local field visits and mentorship from experts.
The Wetskills Finals and Awarding Ceremony were integrated in the Water Mission from The Netherlands to Indonesia in Semarang on 18 June 2025. The finals event showcased four creative team pitches, presented in a dynamic and energetic setting. Each team had only two minutes to convince the expert jury of their solution’s value, feasibility, and innovation. Ms. Meike van Ginneken, the Netherlands’ Special Envoy for Water announced Team 4 to be the winning team. They came up with an innovative solution for Offsetting Corporate Water use through Water Footprint Compensation in Semarang, a case formulated by PDAM Semarang, VEI, WaterWorx and Water Footprint Implementation.
Watch the video!
Picture: Banger Polder in Semarang
Information
Follow Wetskills
Joining this Wetskills Event – What do you get?
A unique learning experience where you will tackle real-life water challenges with your own team!
- You will develop expertise in international cooperation, problem-solving, cross-cultural understanding, and interdisciplinary teamwork.
- You will hone your networking and presentation abilities through pitch and poster
- You will get the opportunity to connect with other international water students/young professionals.
- You will immerse yourself in the vibrant coastal city of Semarang in Central Java, exploring water-related sites and engaging with local water professionals.
- You will learn and deepen your understanding of the Indonesian water sector, gaining insights into key stakeholders, organizations, contemporary issues, and existing business opportunities.
- Upon program completion, receive a certificate of participation, officially joining the ranks of over 1400 Wetskills Alumni.
More information
For additional information regarding participation, the programme and other details, please contact Isabel van Klink, isabel.van.klink@wetskills.com or Johan Oost, johan.oost@wetskills.com.
Semarang in Central Java: Water & Culture
Event Blogs
Wetskills today, so many twists and adventures!
Wetskills-Indonesia 2025 – blog 3 – It all started with the Brain Hurricane session, where we had the chance to ask each top expert for recommendations on our project solutions.…
Team roles & Engaging sessions with the case owners
Wetskills-Indonesia 2025 – blog 2 – The day of working is starting now! We started the day by reading the detailed information of the case and sharing our perspective of…
And we’re off! Wetskills Semarang, Indonesia 2025
Wetskills-Indonesia 2025 – blog 1 – Today marked the long awaited start of the 2025 edition of Wetskills in Semarang, Indonesia! We started the day at the Islamic University of…
Event Cases
Case 1: Engaging the community for water solutions
Case owner: Blue Deal Indonesia (Tangerang, Pekalongan, Semarang)
Indonesia suffers from frequent local and coastal floodings with various causes. To mitigate these problems the local governments are undertaking many (technical) measures. As part of the Blue Deal Indonesia programme (a partnership with three Indonesian local governments and the Dutch Water Authorities) we aim the inhabitants to support this and contribute to these developments themselves. By raising awareness and engaging the community we can bind our forces and make our areas more resilient to their living environment and climate change. Raising awareness is not enough, how can local governments really engage the community?
Case 2: Building with Nature – Constructing natural foreshores for Semarang
Case owner: Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors B.V.
Coastal erosion, land subsidence and floodings threaten northern Java, where the Semarang toll road projects are presented as a solution offering both new transport links and essential coastal protection. As part of a broader Building with Nature vision, natural foreshores have been proposed in addition to these projects to support mangrove growth, aquaculture, and marine habitats. While promising in theory, the actual conditions on site might complicate the constructability of this nature-based solution. The local environmental and socioeconomic context will eventually determine the potential risks and impacts that construction needs to consider and therewith determine the final range of opportunities for value creation. How can natural foreshores be effectively constructed in line with the Building with Nature ambition, considering the site-specific environmental and socioeconomic circumstances in Semarang?
Case 3: Revitalisation of Semarang River
Case owner: Semarang Old City Heritage
According to history, Semarang River is the beginning of the development of Semarang city. Admiral Cheng Ho anchored in Dong Watu (Sam Po Kong) passed through Semarang River. When the Dutch VOC used sea transportation to go to the centre of Trade, Pasar Johar through Semarang River. For that it is very important for us to revitalize Semarang River as a river heritage and as a tourist area integrated with the history of the old city and Semarang Port. How could we create more awareness about the significance of the History of Semarang River? How can the City of Semarang integrate the concept and implementation of Semarang River Revitalisation as a tourist area with Semarang Old City and Port?
Case 4: Offsetting Corporate Water Use through Water Footprint Compensation in Semarang
Case owner: PDAM Semarang, WaterWorx and Water Footprint Implementation
The Water Footprint Compensation (WFC) framework offers companies a practical and credible way to offset their water use while contributing to sustainable water management. Through this framework, companies can invest in Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction projects in Semarang, Indonesia, implemented in partnership with the local utility PDAM and the WaterWorX programme. These projects focus on identifying and repairing leaks and inefficiencies in the water supply system, leading to significant reductions in water losses and improved available of water resources. By financing these varied water savings, companies can: 1. Offset their water footprint with traceable and measurable results, 2. Fulfil ESG and CSRD reporting obligations with credible data, 3. Demonstrate leadership in corporate water stewardship and 4. Contribute to improved water security and resilience in local communities. How can the case owners find interested companies to start water compensating by investing in NRW projects in Semarang?
Event Partners
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