City 'behind' in sanitation: Experts

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 03/31/2008 10:44 AM

While water and sanitation problems have become a liability for Jakarta, the administration has yet to pay sufficient attention to these growing issues to fix them once and for all, an expert says.

The capital is far behind other provinces in ensuring access to clean water and household waste treatment for all residents, including squatters, said Basah Hernowo, director of forestry and water resource conservation at the National Development Planning Board.

"The administration has got everything it needs -- money, infrastructure and human resources. The problem lies with how seriously the administration takes the issue, not prioritizing it in policies because it is regarded as a mega-budget project which would burden the city," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Consequently, he said, only around 40 percent of residents have access to city-managed piped water, and less enjoy conventional sewerage or use a shallow sewer system. The remaining majority rely on contaminated groundwater and rivers for water supply.

"In the short term, the city administration must provide better sanitation, or at least make sure residents have proper septic tanks for their houses so human waste does not further contaminate groundwater and rivers," he said.

The money for the work, he suggested, could be taken from the Rp 1 billion micro credit scheme provided for each subdistrict.

Hernowo's concerns took the fore with World Water Day held March 22, under the theme, "Acknowledging access to clean water as a basic right". This year was also proclaimed International Sanitation Year, on March 27.

Health agency records from 2005 show some 84 percent of groundwater samples taken from across Jakarta were contaminated with human waste. The Jakarta Environmental Management Board says all of Jakarta's 13 rivers are severely polluted.

The more polluted a river is, the more a water company has to spend treating water. As a result, residents must pay higher water rates for piped water that still is not potable.

Bali, by comparison, has begun work on a sewerage system in Badung regency, and Jakarta neighbors Tangerang and Bogor have provided potable water for consumers.

State Water and Sanitation Working Group executive Oswar Mungkasa wrote in his thesis, in 2006, that more investment in tap water and subsidized water tariffs by the central government would boost economic growth and improve people's welfare in Jakarta.

"Water policy in Jakarta is not pro-poor yet. The administration needs to set a target to provide access to clean water for its poor residents. It should regard this issue as a gauge of successful development. It could raise awareness of how important these issues are," he told the Post.