Green, grey, smart solutions transform informal settlements with improved water, sanitation and climate resilience

The successful completion of novel community upgrades in Makassar, Indonesia, signals a potential new approach for millions living in urban informal settlements.

Residents in Makassar came together with Monash University (Australia) and Hasanuddin University (Indonesia) to celebrate the completion of community upgrades that aim to improve living conditions and enhance resilience in informal
settlements.

The innovative neighbourhood-scale upgrades, supported by the Australian and Indonesian Governments, are the culmination of an extensive program of collaboration and engagement with community and government, resulting in a suite of constructed upgrades that strengthen climate resilience and provide access to critical sanitation and water services that meet community needs today and into the future.

Informal settlements are located amongst the harshest conditions in any urban setting, exposed to a combination of environmental contamination hazards affecting their health and wellbeing, disproportionately exacerbated by climate change.

More than 1,400 residents across 325 households have received a combination of:

• Green solutions – nature-based wetland sewage treatment systems
• Grey solutions – drainage improvements and paved access pathways to manage flood events
• Smart solutions – internet-connected pressure sewer systems to transfer sewage from low-lying areas

This is the first time this suite of infrastructure – which has been proven to deliver benefits in developed countries for decades – has been successfully implemented in challenging urban informal settlements in low- and middle-income countries.

The neighbourhood upgrades are part of the RISE program, an ambitious multi-country research program with a vision to improve the health and wellbeing of residents of urban informal settlements by improving the environment in which these communities live.

Interrupting their exposure to environmental faecal contamination, the main cause of stunting and poor cognitive development in children, is the key objective.

Pak Agung*, a resident who has collaborated with RISE on the upgrading process since the program’s pilot in 2018, said, “The children would be exposed to the pollution while playing. That was the negative impact. Now it’s good because there is storage for the wastewater to go to, so it’s managed.”

Each day, over 183,000 people build homes in informal settlements, often in flood-prone and highly degraded environments with poor, if any, access to clean water and sanitation services. These challenges are compounded by being on the frontlines of climate change impacts – being disproportionately impacted by flooding, sea level rise and extreme weather events – while having the least capacity to adapt and respond.

RISE Co-Director Professor Diego Ramirez-Lovering from Monash University said, “The 1 billion people living in informal settlements today is projected to reach 3 billion by 2050. As the informal settlements of today are the middle-class communities of tomorrow, the sustainable and responsible growth of cities in low- and middle-income countries must support these communities. However, governments are challenged with keeping up with their rampant growth, and we need to urgently develop approaches that improve living conditions now – especially in ways where communities play a central role in developing solutions that best suit them – while developing a research-informed evidence base for best practice approaches in the future.”

The City of Makassar has supported community-based initiatives like RISE, which provide urban greening and resilient water sources. Makassar City Mayor Mohammad Ramdhan Pomanto said, “We are a forward-thinking city that supports opportunities to create better health and wellbeing for all. RISE is an important part of our plans to implement sustainable, environmentally friendly solutions.”

RISE Co-Director, Professor Karin Leder said, “As a planetary health research program, RISE aims to collect rigorous scientific evidence of the human and environmental impacts of the upgrading approach in informal settlements. Since 2018, we have been assessing residents’ health through regular community surveys and via faecal and blood samples from young children. We also examine ecological changes, plus we use novel sampling methods to test for environmental contamination and pathogen presence.”

Hasanuddin University is leading this ‘planetary health’ assessment in Makassar. Hasanuddin University Rector Professor Jamaluddin Jompa said, “We are investing in cutting-edge research at the intersections of health, environment, water, sanitation and climate – which will bring lasting benefits to the Indo-Pacific region.”

As a core partner, the Australian Government sees delivering water-sensitive infrastructure as a critical step toward addressing complex urban challenges with new solutions. Australia committed over AU$6 million to the project through the Indonesia Australia Partnership for Infrastructure (KIAT).

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed her support for the project when she visited RISE’s demonstration site in 2022.

Speaking at today’s celebration, Australian Consul-General in Makassar, Todd Dias, said “Australia is encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies to ensure that infrastructure developments are environmentally friendly and resilient to climate change, while meeting the needs of all community members.”

“RISE is a great example of joint Australian-Indonesian research cooperation delivering local infrastructure based on a community-centred approach. Australia and Indonesia are comprehensive infrastructure partners working together to improve water and sanitation systems, and this partnership is having a positive impact on Makassar’s economy and the health of its people,” said Consul-General Dias.