Over the past several years, a number of government agencies and Non-Government Organizations had participated in a series of dialogues resulting in the Citarum Roadmap, a strategic plan containing the results of identification of major programs to improve an integrated water resources management system and restore Citarum River Basin condition. The Citarum Roadmap was made by taking a comprehensive, multi-sector and integrated approach to understanding and solving the complex problems of water and land management in the Citarum River Basin.  

The Roadmap is actually a set of activities with steps to implement the planned strategies. The Roadmap contrasts the present condition of water resources in Citarum River Basin and the desired outcomes for the future which are to be achieved through the identified implementation steps.

The Roadmap can also be defined as what must be done to reach various goals. This all can be reached using the following vision-oriented approach:

• Reaffirm and more clearly define a shared vision of stakeholders for the future of Citarum River Basin (up to 2023);
• Compare the current status of water resources in Citarum River Basin with the vision, in order to identify the strategic direction that needs to be taken.
• Formulate objectives in some key areas that would, if achieved, lead to the fulfillment of the vision.
• Develop a set of interventions (projects) the successful implementation of which would achieve the objectives in each key area.

The Citarum Roadmap successfully identifies 85 activities to be carried out over the next 15 years with an estimated cost of about 35 trillion rupiah. Funding is available through a number of financing mechanism whose sources come from the Indonesian State Budget (APBN), the Regional  Budget (APBD), institutional donors, private sectors through CSR programs and others.

The execution of the program is undertaken through a coordination and consultation with stakeholders and gives a priority to communities’ participation in decision making process over priorities, planning, and implementation.

The Citarum River is the largest and longest river in West Java Province. It originates in its upper region in Mount Wayang in Bandung District and travels for 297 km until it reaches its mouth in Tanjung, Karawang District. The river is essential for the social and economic life of the people, especially those in West Java and the capital Jakarta. In addition to helping the provision of water source for drinking water supplies, agricultural irrigation systems, fisheries, electricity generation through hydropower, the river is the main water supplier for industrial productions. The condition of environment and river water quality in the Citarum has continued to deteriorate over the last twenty years. In this period the population, settlements and industrial activities in the river basin have grown rapidly.

The Citarum River Basin management does not only cover its hydrologic basin, but it also includes a number of smaller river basins to the east and west and all of the tributaries of the Citarum River. These water resources benefit not only communities living within the river basin but also Jakarta residents who rely on water source supplied by the river via West Tarum Canal.  

There has been many reports and publications on current issues related to water resources management in Citarum River Basin. Some of the key issues have been documented in a number of reports published over the last decade. Numerous issues have been successfully identified and they are found in various areas, including extremely poor water quality, deforestation and degradation in upper catchment area, groundwater exploitation and issues related to the operation and maintenance of water infrastructure. This brings a serious social and economic consequence to communities in Citarum River Basin.

The process for the development of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which is taken by using an approach in the form of a roadmap to solve the Citarum River Basin issues, follows the methodology of strategic planning.  

Basically, the approach is used to answer these three following questions:

• Where are we now (that is, what are the existing problems/issues)?
• Where do we want to go (with water resources management in Citarum River Basin)?
• How can we reach our goal that we all agreed on? the "road/route" we need to take)?