By: Natalia Trita Agnika

"Good morning. Where is the water test booth?" asked a visitor while carrying a bottle of water to the Water Wise Festival 2018 committee on Sunday (22/04). After heading to the booth Water Information Center & Lab located at The Space at Senayan City, Jakarta, the visitor then tested the quality of the water sample he brought. A surprised facial expression appeared when the sample water he brought turned out to show an acidity level (pH) of 5.5 or acidic. Whereas the neutral pH for drinking water is 7.

In addition to getting information about the acidity level, visitors to the Water Wise Festival can also test the microbial content in water using a microscope. They also get various information about water by taking examples of the lives of people living around the Subayang River, Riau.

The Water Wise Festival 2018 which was held to coincide with the celebration of Earth Day was organized by WWF-Indonesia and PT Bank HSBC Indonesia as an invitation to the public to better recognize water as a source of life. Through direct experience of testing water quality, it is expected to increase awareness of the availability of clean water and change public behavior to help preserve water. In addition, Water Wise Festival 2018 is also the opening of collaboration between WWF-Indonesia and PT Bank HSBC Indonesia in a water conservation program that will be carried out in the Koto Panjang area, Riau & West Sumatra in 2018-2020.

"For more than 15 years, WWF-Indonesia and HSBC have worked together to address various environmental issues including the issue of water availability and environmental education which has started since 2016 in Rimbang Baling and Bandung. We agree that water is a source of life that should be managed and used wisely. Through this conservation program, we encourage best management practices in agriculture, forestry, and aquaculture that are environmentally friendly in order to improve the quantity and quality of water in the Koto Panjang area," said Rizal Malik, CEO of WWF-Indonesia.

Nuni Sutyoko, Head of Corporate Sustainability PT Bank HSBC Indonesia explained, "As part of this program, we work with various businesses and sectors to promote water efficiency. In addition, together with WWF and local communities we strive to provide education on better management of water resources, to ensure the availability of water for human and environmental needs in the future."

Symbolically, the opening of the water conservation program held in Koto Panjang, Riau & West Sumatra in 2018-2010 was marked by a simple water filtration experiment using palm fiber, sand, fine stones, and charcoal by the Chief Operating Officer (COO & IT) of PT Bank HSBC Indonesia, John Rosie and WWF-Indonesia's Director of Finance and Administration, Aria Nagasastra.

In the Water Wise Festival which was attended by the public and the volunteers from HSBC, information about the water conservation program was shared through a Conservation Discussion that explained the condition of the existing water catchment area in the Koto Panjang area and what conservation programs will be carried out there. Not only adults, children also participated in the festival through various educational games, such as water-themed cranklek, face painting, listening to water stories on the Panda Mobile truck, and decorating trash bins. This activity was also enlivened by Sadi, Jamaica Café, and GAC.