Implementing the integrated water resources management approach in a volcanic river basin: a case study of Opak Sub-Basin, Indonesia

Abstract

The ways in which integrated water resources management (IWRM) is implemented in a volcanic river basin (the Opak Sub-Basin) on the flanks of Mt Merapi volcano in Indonesia is examined. Data deriving from semi-ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews are analysed through a multilevel governance lens that considers three pillars of management–conservation, utilization and hazard control–and three levels of governance–national, regional and municipal. The research shows that the regional level is the priority playing field; that the degree of integration differs between levels of government; and that actors called ‘whisperers’ support higher integration levels, have the greatest ability to form bridges between communities and government.