Last updated: April 2023
Revitalizing Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) is one of the pilot projects carried out in the Batua neighbourhood (1.9 km2 area) of Makassar City (119 km2 area), province of South Sulawesi in Indonesia, which was commenced in 2017 and concluded in 2022 (1,2,3). Batua neighbourhood (six settlements of around 1,600 people) was the first demonstration site for this project which was completed in 2019 (3,4,5). The main challenge was that many households who lived in informal settlements lacked access to centralized urban infrastructure and faced threats from climate change (3,4). The project was proposed to reduce the impact of climate change on marginalized communities in Makassar by providing localized, water-sensitive interventions that addressed issues related to sanitation and water management (1,2,3,4). The introduction of water-sensitive solutions enabled targeted communities to recycle wastewater and rainwater, restore natural waterways, improve water quality, and reduce vulnerability to flooding (3,4). The RISE program initiative integrated nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, bio-filtration gardens (the process of using beneficial bacteria to clean water on a molecular level to remove contaminants), stormwater harvesting, filtration paths and new sanitation structures to improve wastewater management and diversify water resources through community-driven development (1,2,3,4).
Paved pathways and new green areas
Available at https://goexplorer.org/nature-based-solutions-are-on-the-rise-in-makassar/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Coastal wetland, mangroves and salt marshes
- Community gardens and allotments
- Allotments
- Green areas for water management
- Rain gardens
- Sustainable urban drainage systems
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Improvements to water quality
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving physical health
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, Improved governance of green or blue areas
Project objectives
- To reduce vulnerability to flooding and climate change in marginalized communities by adopting location-specific nature-based solutions
- To restore natural waterways and ecosystems
- To adopt water-sensitive approaches which address issues related to water management and sanitation through community engagement
- To create green space for water cleansing and food cultivation
- To strengthen the connection of blue-green infrastructure elements
- To promote human well-being by developing better community health with fewer infections and water-related diseases
- To develop access to centralized urban infrastructure in the project area (1,2,3,4).
Implementation activities
The water-sensitive solutions implemented in this project included activities of wetland restoration, bio-filtration gardens, stormwater harvesting, filtration paths and new sanitation structures to improve wastewater management by rainwater harvesting through connections to the communal system and the development of other green spaces were implemented to improve the issues related to sanitation and water management (2,3,4,5). The project also involved the support of green areas for food cultivation (2).
The 1,400+ residents in the settlement in Makassar have continued to guide all the project work. Regular meetings with Community Engagement Councils were to keep residents informed of progress and also hear about their community’s changing needs and expectations of how to be involved in RISE. The Batua demonstration project was implemented using the full community co-design process as planned for the larger-scale intervention sites. The intensive co-design process took place in the Batua settlement in September 2017 and involved the entire community and government partners. (5)
Key activities with milestones included:
- Generation of appropriate water-sensitive design
- Development of capacity for operation and maintenance of water-sensitive infrastructure
- Generation of knowledge to inform the scaling up of the projects (6)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Restore wetlands and/or coastal ecosystems to dissipate the effects of flooding and/or storms
- Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Local government/municipality
- Researchers/university
- Transnational network
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
- The main RISE Program in South East Asia (locations - Makassar, Indonesia and Suva, Fiji) was conducted in partnership with Monash (University) Sustainable Development Initiative (Australia) for research and is part of an ongoing environmental and human health research funded by a grant from the charitable foundation named Wellcome Trust (UK).
- The overall RISE Project was financed through the Asia Development Bank (ADB), managed Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund and Southeast Asia Urban Services Facility (1,2,3,6).
The RISE Indonesia Project:
- The research is led by Hasanuddin University and led by the City of Makassar, with support from the Ministry of National Planning (BAPPENAS), the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, and the Indonesia Australia Partnership for Infrastructure (that provides technical assistance and advisory services to improve infrastructure policy, planning and delivery in response to agreed priorities)
- Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade funds the infrastructure intervention in Indonesia (1).
Other stakeholders include:
- NGO and Industry Partners/Companies: South East Water and Melbourne Water supports turning technical knowledge and best practice into action (water-sensitive and nature-based approaches)
- Engagement of targeted communities of the project area (1,3): 1,400+ residents in the settlement in Makassar have helped co-design the project work (5).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(Government of Indonesia. 2014. Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Nasional 2015–2019. Jakarta; Government of Fiji. 2017. 5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plan. Transforming Fiji. Suva (6))
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Yes, the intervention mentions the city planning agenda and informal settlement policies but doesn't extrapolate. (7))
Financing
Total cost
€2,000,000 - €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Multilateral funds/international funding
- Private Foundation/Trust
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Stimulate development in deprived areas
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. RISE. Monash Sustainable Development Institute, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
2. Nature-based Solutions on the RISE in Makassar. Network Nature, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
3. Asian Development Bank. (2021). 100 Climate Actions from Cities in Asia and the Pacific. SPREP Virtual Library, Page 143, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
4. CRC for Water Sensitive Cities. (2018). RISE breaks ground in Makassar. Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities Ltd., available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
5. RISE. (2019). Building Global Momentum. RISE Annual Activity Report 2019. Monash Sustainable Development Institute, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
6. Asian Development Bank. (2023). Regional: Revitalization of Informal Settlements and their Environments using a Water-Sensitive Approach. ADB, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
7. RISE (2021), Stronger together RISE Annual Activity Report 2021, available at Source link, (accessed 04-04-2023)
8. ADB, Slum-Upgrading Project Helps Reduce Poverty and Improve Livelihoods Across Indonesia, available at Source link (accessed 04-04-2023)
2. Nature-based Solutions on the RISE in Makassar. Network Nature, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
3. Asian Development Bank. (2021). 100 Climate Actions from Cities in Asia and the Pacific. SPREP Virtual Library, Page 143, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
4. CRC for Water Sensitive Cities. (2018). RISE breaks ground in Makassar. Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities Ltd., available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
5. RISE. (2019). Building Global Momentum. RISE Annual Activity Report 2019. Monash Sustainable Development Institute, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
6. Asian Development Bank. (2023). Regional: Revitalization of Informal Settlements and their Environments using a Water-Sensitive Approach. ADB, available at Source link (accessed 01-03-2023)
7. RISE (2021), Stronger together RISE Annual Activity Report 2021, available at Source link, (accessed 04-04-2023)
8. ADB, Slum-Upgrading Project Helps Reduce Poverty and Improve Livelihoods Across Indonesia, available at Source link (accessed 04-04-2023)
RISE Team on first demonstration site
Available at https://watersensitivecities.org.au/content/rise-breaks-ground-in-makassar/
RISE Demonstration Site
Available at https://www.rise-program.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2096207/RISE-Annual-Activity-Report-2019.pdf
Informal Settlements in Batua
Available at https://www.monash.edu/mada/research/rise
Flooding in the neighbourhood of Batua in Makassar, Indonesia.
Available at https://www.rise-program.org/archived/blog/gotong-royong-unity-and-resilience-in-makassars-informal-settlements-amid-a-pandemic
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the "NBS 2022" UNA Asian extension project funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation.