It is very timely to speak about accountability, a topic that Preeta Dhar has been engaging with in water governance. She is a PhD Candidate at SOAS University of London. Her dissertation project seeks to address system accountability that is beyond the technical needs in addressing corruption or mis-management. Her aim is to understand power dynamics beyond the visible stretch of water infrastructures. Towards the end of the conversation we mentioned about the People’s Water Forum, which unfortunately has been forcedly annulled by the Indonesian Government.
CO-Water Voice Theme Music:
Solidas by Marjinal. The music was created during the solidarity action in Berlin, which was organized by the band on 18 February 2022. The solidarity evening was meant to support the struggles of communities in Indonesia against land grabbing and environmental degradation caused by the mining industry. Specific dedication in that evening was for the farming community in Wadas, whose village was destroyed by stone mining.
Opening music:
Biru Beriak by Lair from Jatiwangi, West Java. The music is dedicated to fisherfolk communities.
Closing music and song:
Selamat Pagi by Sanggar Ciliwung Merdeka. The song was recorded by Prathiwi in Jakarta during their rehearsal on 18 March 2017. The children were still actively singing after their riverside workshop had been demolished in 2016, during a forced eviction. In 2016 alone, there were 193 cases of forced evictions with direct victims of 5.726 households and 5.379 informal business units in the kampungs of Jakarta, or the so-called slums, in the name of the Ciliwung river normalization program.
