The way in which New Zealand manages land and water (ICM) holds value that stretches far beyond our borders.
Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM), as it’s known in Southeast Asia, is the focus of a major project for EnviroStrat, members of which recently visited seven Southeast Asian nations on a field mission as part of our work for the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).
PEMSEA has 11 Country Partners (CP) and 21 Non-Country Partners. Supported by the Global Environment Facility, the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project is working to set-up functional management mechanisms in priority river basins of six ASEAN countries to reduce pollution and sustain freshwater environmental flows as well as adapt to climate change vulnerabilities. The regional Project is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme Bangkok Regional Hub, and executed by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, in collaboration with ASEAN.
Viet Nam, Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia have advanced their work in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), yet the scale of the challenges is immense.
Water quality in Asia has significantly deteriorated, with pollution increasing in 50% of major rivers from 1990 to 2010. Salinity has risen by more than one-third, and 80% of wastewater is discharged into waterways without adequate treatment.
Rapid depletion of groundwater aquifers is leading to inequities in water access, land subsidence in major cities, and increased saltwater intrusion into coastal areas. Without significant action, the number of people affected by severe water stress in Asia is expected to increase by more than 40% by 2050.
In October EnviroStrat’s Sustainability Director, Cerasela Stancu, and Sustainability Advisor, Ross Abercrombie, toured hot spots in a 10-day PEMSEA-hosted trip across Indonesia, Viet Nam, and Malaysia with PEMSEA’s Regional Project Manager Nancy Bermas, Technical assistant for project development Daisy Padayao, and Orange Omengan Communications specialist.
Ross and Cerasela’s journey was a valuable opportunity to connect with key people, view and understand local challenges, and discuss practical solutions that will be developed and tested in the months ahead.
Their visits to seven river basins highlighted common pressure points and priorities across six countries in Southeast Asia, where we see firsthand how population pressure is accelerating ecosystem degradation in catchments.
EnviroStrat has developed the first in a range of theme based solutions templates. These are a practical “how-to” guides for IRBM implementation in partner countries. These templates outline necessary steps and develop solutions in each PEMSEA country, with potential finance options in each country.
“The challenges are universal,” Abercrombie says. “To address them, you start with first principles: where the contaminants come from, what can realistically be done about them, what are impacts on human health and livelihoods, and what solutions can be implemented within the life of a project (to 2027).”
Riverbased Management with PEMSEA and EnviroStrat
When it comes to integrated catchment management in the New Zealand context, much of the work revolves around keeping sediment out of rivers, protecting hillsides from slips, encouraging farmers and other landowners to plant riparian margins and conduct nutrient budgets, along with our City/District Councils’ management of wastewater and stormwater.
Overseas, the same ideas apply, but with population differences, the pollution problems facing rivers is staggering. For example, In Metro Manila in the Philippines where two catchments feed into Manila Bay, a single catchment can serve 5-10 million people.
Densely populated cities are often still relying on septic tanks rather than piped wastewater systems. With use of such technology at scale, some aspirational goals for faecal coliforms in rivers may never be achievable.
In Jakarta, a municipal septic-tank management programme empties and treats household systems every three years, however, this only reaches about 20% of residents. Expanding that coverage could double the benefit, yet even then half the population would remain unserved.
Compounding the issue are approximately 120 small tofu factories and small food preparation kitchens which are essential to local diets. As seen in other ASEAN countries, these manufacturers discharge wastewater directly into streams. The operations are small family-run businesses, employing small teams and supplying neighbourhood markets.
The tofu factories present an opportunity to demonstrate solutions that can be implemented and scaled without over-regulation that could have negative consequences for food affordability.In May 2025 we also visited Cambodia and Laos where lower populations and an agriculture industry exists in catchments outside main towns and cities bring challenges of upper catchment deforestation and quarrying, which has significant downstream impacts on flood flows and sediment entering rivers.
In the Laos example, recent deforestation and significant flood flows have overtopped hydro dams, and flooded downstream townships with very little warning. Riverbanks and hillsides are damaged, assets are stranded, property is flooded and lives are at risk. Solutions include landuse studies and early warning and detection, alongside re-forestation using carbon finance.
Given increasing frequency and intensity of tropical storms with climate change these pressures are immediate threats.
“You have to find solutions that improve water quality while keeping people and property safe, ideally improving livelihoods,” says Ross.
That balance between environmental outcomes and social reality lies at the heart of EnviroStrat’s international advisory work. To meet timeframes and achieve results, it means identifying entry-level projects that can attract investment from local government or multilateral banks such as the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank.
We treat each issue as a solvable, scalable piece of a larger puzzle: a pilot in the broader challenge of addressing large-scale wastewater treatment, solid-waste reduction of landscape level solutions. This approach allows industries to witness measurable success and provides a template that can be replicated.
Abercrombie points to community initiatives that already exist in many catchments. For example, the highly successful programme of ‘River Rangers’ who deliver clean-up programmes and raft sections of polluted waterways collecting rubbish, and local campaigns that celebrate clean-up efforts and engage communities, often working with schools. “It gives people pride,” he says. “They see that change is possible and increase participation through rafting sports and river cleanups.”
While some projects gain attention because of their subject matter, such as downstream mangrove restoration, many solutions are required upstream of coastal areas, with improvements in wastewater management, factory discharges, and afforestation in upper catchments.
“EnviroStrat’s advisory team is fortunate to be working with great local people on the ground in countries with significant challenges, these people are in the environmental sector, passionate about their work and connecting into change, and working on large-scale inputs into the rivers. It’s a privilege to be able to help and connect with these advocates.”
Abercrombie admits it can be overwhelming when faced with the scale of problems in polluted river basins. “But you remind yourself that organisations like the PEMSEA are driving for change, investment agencies are willing to support change and see this as worthy work. They’re investing in real change, and that keeps you hopeful.”
Returning home always brings perspective for our team. New Zealanders can turn on the tap and drink straight from it, but that shouldn’t allow for complacency. Shares Ross: “I ride around the Waikato a lot, and it’s a very natural environment, but we are lucky that we have a low population pressure. Even in our towns there are challenges, and it is disconcerting to return home to ‘boil water notices’ issued in our own country.”