Carbon footprint of clean water in Indonesia

Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering Division, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, IPB University, Dramaga, Jawa Barat, 16680, Indonesia

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Abstract

The local state-owned water company (PDAM) in Indonesia is facing a challenge of an increased demand for sustainable water supply. This study aimed to evaluate the carbon footprint of water from PDAM, and to analyse the correlation between water supply efficiency and the Product's Carbon Footprint (PCF) of the water distributed. Fuel and electrical consumption of PDAM were accounted for in the PCF. Pearson's correlation test was used to analyse the association between the PCF and the idle capacity. Over the last ten years (2014−2023), the trend for GHG emissions increased, while for PCF, it was the opposite. The national average for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in 2023 was 45,935.58 tCO₂-e, and 0.344 kgCO₂.m⁻³ for the PCF. West Kalimantan and Yogyakarta were consistently among the provinces with a high PCF. Meanwhile, West Nusa Tenggara, Papua, and West Sumatra had a low PCF consistently in 2014 and 2023. Apparently, that was because of the emission factor for electricity consumption and the type of transmission and distribution (T&D) system. Despite no significant correlation being confirmed between PCF and idle capacity, further investigation into the correlation between PCF and spatial characteristics is recommended to test the finding from the spatial analysis.