Tackling the Problem of Water Supply and Sanitation in Indonesia

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Tackling the Problem of Water Supply and Sanitation in Indonesia
by Muhammad Rafly Andrianza \| 21-05-2018 23:53 1
The problem of clean water and sanitation seems to be a classic problem that never ends eradicated in Indonesia. How come ? In 2011, from about two hundred millions of Indonesians, only 20% have access to clean water. That is mostly in urban areas. While the rest, or about 80% of Indonesian people still consume water that is not fit for health. This is evidenced by research from Jim Woodcock, a consultant on water and sanitation issues from the world bank, whose results are 100,000 babies in Indonesia die each year caused by diarrhea, the second most deadly disease after acute respiratory infections. The main cause, obviously poor access to clean water and sanitation. In NTT (East Nusa Tenggara), residents must travel a minimum distance of 700 meters with a length of about 46 minutes plus the texture of the streets they pass uneven to obtain clean water. Of course it is very worrying. Besides due to the topography of the area, the absence of adequate infrastructure system is also a major cause of difficult access to clean water. In fact, because of the scarcity of clean water, the citizens of Sebatik Island in East Kalimantan had trouble with clean water. Until-samapai they must take clean water in the Tawau region that has entered into the territory of Malaysia. Actually in the area there has been a PDAM pipeline built in 2004. But the condition has been damaged because it was never flooded with clean water. Data from health ministry states that 60% of rivers in Indonesia are polluted, ranging from organic materials to diarrhea-causing bacteria such as coliform and Fecal coli. In fact, river water should be a source of life for local people. However, it is even polluted and changed the color to a solid black, so it is not feasible to be drinking water, bathing, and washing. This condition certainly causes environmental pollution and the impact on the poor health of the citizens. Unfinished access to clean water problems, sanitation problems are also getting bigger. Because, the two things are also related. A study even shows that still about 70 million people of Indonesia defecate carelessly every day. That means, every day there are 14,000 tons of feces and 176,000 cubic meters of urine that pollute the environment. E.Coli bacteria is also found in 75% shallow water wells in urban areas It certainly makes access to clean water more difficult. This is evidenced by a data showing that of 1000 Indonesians, 411 of whom have diarrheal diseases, which means almost 50% of Indonesians. According to the research of an institution called MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) Asia Pacific, That for the sanitation sector in Indonesia the coverage of national access, the average has indeed reached 80%, and that means has exceeded the target of the MDGs is only 74%. However, it is only a quantity. Not quality. With the above evidence showing that the number of babies who die from diarrhea, it has proved that quality, sanitation in Indonesia is still very, very bad. Meanwhile, when viewed from the quantity and quality, the latest data reported by the MDGs, only 51.02% of families in Indonesia who have access to adequate sanitation. The target is, by 2015 sanitation access can rise up to 60% to 70%. Sanitation problems are also not only spread in the community. The government also participated in "beard fires" facing this problem. Based on data from the Directorate of Drinking Water and Waste at the National Development Planning Agency, Indonesia's losses due to poor sanitation services amount to 58 trillion rupiah per year. One of them is because the cost of obtaining clean water is expensive. Looking at the above data we are certainly very concerned about the condition of Indonesian society today in terms of availability of access to clean water and sanitation. It certainly raises a big question mark. What causes the poor quality of water and sanitation in Indonesia? In my opinion, there are 2 main problems that cause poor water quality in Indonesia. The first problem is the low awareness of the Indonesian people to their neighborhoods. From the above data alone can be proven, with the still large number of Indonesian population who defecate carelessly would cause poor water quality in Indonesia, especially on water sources that should be a source of livelihoods of citizens. With high population levels, low awareness of the environment further exacerbates the condition. Indonesian people still often dispose of household waste, garbage, and so on. Yet the rivers are the source of their livelihood. Not to mention the exploitation of ground water for the benefit of hotel facilities, apartments, and offices that cause the decrease in the flow of clean water. Acceleration of Sanitation Development Program. Through this program, the development of sanitation for the needy settlements is expected to be accelerated. However, the lack of budget owned, causing the program is far from the maximum word. Thus, it takes a bigger budget to make it happen. The second step that must be implemented, once public awareness can be grown, the government increases the budget to improve facilities to access clean water and proper sanitation. Based on the data I have written above, the average area in Indonesia still allocates 1.5% of its APBD for sanitation development. It is certainly very small, and should be added for the years to come. The third step, if in the sense of APBD has reached the maximum point, so that can not be raised again, the government can also establish cooperation with international institutions related to this. For example UN agencies, such as WHO or World Health Organization. At the national level, Danone's step to help the availability of clean water in NTT deserves thumbs up. And that, of course, will increasingly reach other areas if the cooperation is done with other international institutions.

Dormant user Muhammad Rafly Andrianza