A narrative review of local ecological knowledge in urban water supply governance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61511/evojes.v3i1.2026.3183Keywords:
local ecological knowledge, urban water management, urban ethnoecology, IndonesiaAbstract
Background: According to the UN World Urban Prospect data, by 2050, 72.2% of the world’s population will live in cities, especially in Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the urban population is estimated to reach 70% of the total population by 2045. This indicates the presence of population pressures due to rapid urbanization and environmental stress in the form of increasing demand for clean water supply to sustain urban population growth. This study is a narrative review examining the implementation of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) as a grassroots approach in urban water management in Indonesia and other countries. Methods: Through analysis of 24 case studies using a narrative review approach from both developing and developed countries, this research aims to identify key factors enabling the application of LEK within an integrated bottom-up water resource management framework. Findings: Analysis reveals three critical patterns: successful LEK integration occurs when traditional systems operate within strong social structures with institutional recognition; failures emerge from power imbalances and technocratic-centralistic approaches; and urbanization threatens LEK continuity. Indonesian cases reveal LEK manifesting in spiritual-ecological relationships with water sources, collective cultural practices as social control mechanisms, and autonomous community-based management systems. Self-supply practices by approximately 90% of Indonesian urban households represent adaptive resilience rooted in LEK. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that LEK is a culturally embedded knowledge system essential for sustainable urban water governance. The primary challenge is misalignment between community logic and institutional logic, perpetuated by power imbalances and dominance of scientific-instrumental knowledge. Achieving sustainability requires collaborative platforms bridging formal and local knowledge systems, and capacity-building support for existing community practices. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study recommends a paradigm shift in water management from a predominantly technocratic-centralistic approach toward a hybrid planning model that recognizes LEK as a knowledge system that can be integrated into public policy frameworks.
References
Allan, J. V., Fielding, K. S., Kenway, S. J., & Head, B. W. (2022). Community perspectives on sustainable urban water security. Urban Water Journal, 19(4), 325–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2021.2001545
Almasri, D., Aissaoui, A., & Shahd Enizah. (2025). TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Lessons Learned from Three Case Studies from Around the World. www.earthna.qa
Alves, R. R. N., & Souto, W. M. S. (2024). Local and traditional knowledge systems, resistance, and socioenvironmental justice. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 20, Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-023-00641-0
Ameen, R. F. M., & Mourshed, M. (2017). Urban environmental challenges in developing countries—A stakeholder perspective. Habitat International, 64, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.04.002
Asad, R., Vaughan, J., & Ahmed, I. (2023). Integrated Traditional Water Knowledge in Urban Design and Planning Practices for Sustainable Development: Challenges and Opportunities. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612434
Bajrami, A., Mesiti, A., & Mahmutaj, E. (2023). THE NEW NORMAL: ETHNOBIOLOGY OF CITIES AND URBAN ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE.
Barthel, S. (2008). Recalling Urban Nature-linking city people to ecosystem services. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.1258.7842
Boakye, M. K., & Akpor, O. B. (2012). Community participation in water resources management in South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, 3(6), 511-516. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJESD.2012.V3.280
Cahyadi, R., Kusumaningrum, D., & Prasetyoputra, P. (2022). Self-supplied water in Indonesia: recent spatial and socio-demographic conditions and its future development. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1062(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1062/1/012038
Chumbula, J. J., & Massawe, F. A. (2018). Community participation in water resource projects management in Iringa District Council, Tanzania. Tengeru Community Development Journal, 5(1), 80-90.
Emery, M. R., & Hurley, P. T. (2016). Ethnobiology in the City: Embracing the Urban Ecological Moment. Journal of Ethnobiology, 36(4), 807–819. https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-36.4.807
Firdausi, E., & Dewangga, A. (2024). Pengelolaan Sumber Daya Air di Daerah Aliran Sungai Gajah Wong: Studi Kasus Kelurahan Mrican, Kecamatan Umbulharjo, Kota Yogyakarta. Ilmu Lingkungan, Matematika Dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam, Universitas Sebelas Maret. https://jp.ejournal.unri.ac.id/index.php/jipas/article/view/1912
Gartin, M., Crona, B., Wutich, A., & Westerhoff, P. (2010). Urban Ethnohydrology: Cultural Knowledge of Water Quality and Water Management in a Desert City (Vol. 15, Issue 4). and Society. http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss4/art36/
Garciadiego, F. G. A. (2022). Community participation in Mexico City's water management: Learning from the failure of the Magdalena River restoration project. Urban Water Journal, 19(9), 947-960. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2022.2106120
Gheorghe, R., Marius, A., & Olivier, W. (2012). Fresh Rivers And Salt Springs: Modern Management And Ethno Management Of Water Resources In Eastern Romania. https://www.academia.edu/125972732/Fresh_Rivers_And_Salt_Springs_Modern_Management_And_Ethno_Management_Of_Water_Resources_In_Eastern_Romania
Ghorbani, M., Eskandari-Damaneh, H., Cotton, M., Ghoochani, O. M., & Borji, M. (2021). Harnessing indigenous knowledge for climate change-resilient water management–lessons from an ethnographic case study in Iran. Climate and Development, 13(9), 766–779. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1841601
Ghosh, R., & Kansal, A. (2019). Anthropology of changing paradigms of urban water systems. Water History, 11(1–2), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-019-00229-0
Green, B. N., Johnson, C. D., & Adams, A. (2006). Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: Secrets of the trade. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 5(3), 101-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0899-3467(07)60142-6
He, C., Liu, Z., Wu, J., Pan, X., Fang, Z., Li, J., & Bryan, B. A. (2021). Future global urban water scarcity and potential solutions. Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25026-3
Johnston, B. R. (2013). Human needs and environmental rights to water: A biocultural systems approach to hydrodevelopment and management. Ecosphere, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00370.1
Lasco, G., & Hardon, A. (2024). Sensing, knowing, and making water quality along Marikina River in the Philippines. Human Organization, 83(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/00187259.2024.2351372
Martias, I. (2024). Hydrosocial and Dwelling Perspectives of Telaga (Pond) in Gunungsewu Karst of Gunungkidul. Biokultur, 13(1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.20473/bk.v13i1.52253
Maryati, S., Firman, T., & Humaira, A. N. S. (2022). A sustainability assessment of decentralized water supply systems in Bandung City, Indonesia. Utilities Policy, 76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2022.101373
Mulyana, W., & Prasojo, E. (2020). Indonesia urban water governance: The interaction between the policy domain of urban water sector and actors network. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 15(2), 211–218. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.150211
Pawitan, H., & Haryani, G. S. (2011). Water resources, sustainability and societal livelihoods in Indonesia. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology, 11(3–4), 231–243. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10104-011-0050-3
Poricha, B., & Dasgupta, B. (2011). Equity and access: Community based water management in urban poor communities: An Indian case study. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 153, 275–285. https://doi.org/10.2495/WS110251
Priono, Y., & Ellisa, E. (2025). Riverside Settlements in Palangka Raya City: Balancing Tradition, Urbanization, and Environmental Sustainability. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 13(4), 2876–2894. https://doi.org/10.13189/cea.2025.130406
Purba, D. E., Arrania, N., Syamila, M., Pranaya, D., & Kusumawardhani, D. E. (2021). Inclusive Development Approach to Urban Water Services in Jakarta. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 940(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/940/1/012022
Purba, D. E., & Wahyu, A. M. (2022). The Effectiveness of Community Participation in Urban Water Supply: A Narrative Review. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1111(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1111/1/012083
Rangel, J. M. L., do Nascimento, A. L. B., & Ramos, M. A. (2024). The influence of urbanization on local ecological knowledge: a systematic review. In Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (Vol. 20, Issue 1). BioMed Central Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-024-00747-z
Roekmi, R. A. K., Baskaran, K., & Chua, L. H. (2018). Community-based water supplies in Cikarang, Indonesia: Are they sustainable? Natural Resources Forum, 42(2), 108-122. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12145
Rosinger, A. Y. (2025). Water Needs, Water Insecurity, and Human Biology. Annual Review of Anthropology, 27, 41. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-052721
Seftyono, C. (2012). Local Community in Valuing Ecosystem Services: Warga Kampung Code’s Perspective on Kali Code Existence. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1763226
Setiawan, B., & Mulyani Sunarharum, T. (2020). Ensuring Sustainable Urban Transformation in Indonesia. The Journal of Indonesia Sustainable Development Planning, 1(2), 217–224. https://doi.org/10.46456/jisdep.v1i2.80
Sukhera, J. (2022). Narrative reviews: Flexible, rigorous, and practical. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 14(4), 414-417. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-22-00480.1
Suryani, N., Ichiki, A., Shimizu, T., & Maryati, S. (2019). Investigation of the water supply system and water usage in Urban Kampung of Bandung City, Indonesia. Journal of Water and Environment Technology, 17(6), 375–385. https://doi.org/10.2965/JWET.18-068
Szałkiewicz, E., Sucholas, J., & Grygoruk, M. (2020). Feeding the future with the past: Incorporating local ecological knowledge in river restoration. Resources, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/RESOURCES9040047
Utami, N. W. F., Arifin, H. S., Nurhayati, H. A. S., & Wijaya, S. (2018). Community-based bamboo stands management in the Kali Bekasi Watershed, Indonesia. Environment and Natural Resources Research, 8(1), 61-69. https://doi.org/10.5539/enrr.v8n1p61
West, A. O., Nolan, J. M., & Scott, J. T. (2016). Optical water quality and human perceptions of rivers: an ethnohydrology study. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 2(8). https://doi.org/10.1002/ehs2.1230
Wirata, G. (2025). Integrating Traditional Knowledge and Local Wisdom into Public Policy for Addressing Social and Ecological Crises. Journal of Hunan University Natural Sciences, 52(8). https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.52.8.6
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ganggas Prakosa Sigit Wibowo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
