IWK Appointed by ADB to Mentor Three Indonesian Wastewater Utilities Under Water Organizations Partnerships for Resilience (WOP4R) Programme

Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s national sewerage company, has been appointed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as the mentor for three Indonesian wastewater utilities under the Water Organizations Partnerships for Resilience (WOP4R) programme, which is cofinanced by Gates Foundation and Japan Special Fund, reinforcing Malaysia’s role in advancing sustainable wastewater management and utility excellence across the region.

The appointment was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) document exchange ceremony between ADB, IWK and its partner utilities, namely Public Works Office (Dinas PU) of Makassar City, Public Works and Spatial Planning Office (Dinas PUPR) of Jambi City and Public Works and Spatial Planning Office (Dinas PUPR) of Pekanbaru City. The singing marks the start of an 18-month partnership focused on strengthening technical capabilities, operational excellence and organisational resilience.

The MoUs were signed by Narendran Maniam, Chief Executive Officer of IWK; Satoshi Ishii, Director, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, ADB; Zuhaelsi Zubir, Head of the Dinas PU of Makassar City; Momon Sukmana Fitra ST., MM, Head of the Dinas PUPR of Jambi City; and Edward Riansyah, SE MM, Head of the Dinas PUPR of Pekanbaru City.

Chief Executive Officer of IWK, Narendran Maniam, said the appointment reflects growing regional recognition of IWK’s expertise and underscores the importance of utility-to-utility collaboration in building resilient wastewater services.

For more than three decades, IWK has been entrusted with managing Malaysia’s sewerage systems. Throughout this journey, we have learned that building a resilient organisation is about much more than infrastructure. It requires capable people, effective systems, strong partnerships and a commitment to continuous learning.

Narendran Maniam, Chief Executive Officer of IWK

Through this partnership, IWK will provide technical support, coaching and knowledge sharing to help utilities implement their workplans and strengthen their capabilities. The programme will focus on improving operational performance, asset management, safety and service delivery to support more efficient and resilient wastewater services.

The three Indonesian utilities are beneficiaries of ADB-financed Metropolitan Sanitation Management Investment Project, which supported the development of certralised sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants in the respective cities. Through WOP4R, ADB is complementing these infrastructure investments by strengthening the operational practices, management systems and capabilities needed to ensure sustainable service delivery.

“As our industry continues to navigate increasingly complex challenges, from urbanisation and climate change to resource constraints and evolving customer expectations, the importance of regional collaboration has never been greater. Through partnerships like WOP4R, we have the opportunity to share experiences, strengthen capabilities and create lasting impact. When we strengthen one utility, we strengthen the resilience of the entire region,” concluded Narendran.

As ADB’s first cluster twinning partnership under phase two of the WOP4R programme, this initiative marks an important milestone in regional collaboration. It reinforces IWK’s position as a trusted regional partner in advancing sustainable wastewater management through knowledge sharing, capacity building and strategic partnerships.

IWK is also represented on the Steering Committee of the 300 Water Leaders initiative, which promotes peer learning through workshops and collaborative co-development groups. This reflects IWK’s growing role in advancing knowledge sharing in the wastewater services sector globally.

The signing was preceded by a week-long reciprocal visit where 12 Indonesian mentees experience IWK’s sewerage service operations first-hand.

About Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK)
Indah Water Konsotium Sdn Bhd (IWK) is a sewerage services company owned by Minister of Finance Incorporated, Malaysia. IWK is responsible for providing sewerage services, operating and maintaining 9,133 existing sewage treatment plants and network pump stations, as well as more than 22,000km networks of sewerage pipelines serving 32 million Connected Population Equivalent (cPE). Its core expertise spans Operations and Maintenance, Refurbishment, Planning & Policy Strategy, Engineering and Process Review, Project Planning and Management, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), as well as Research & Development, and Training Services including module development.

For more information, visit www.iwk.com.my