8/14/2019 2008 December Jakarta Post Clean Water Pipe Network Extended to Poorer Areas

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008 9

Clean waterpipe networkextended topoorer areas

Erwida MauliaVie Jakarta Post/JakartaMicrocredit financingschemes and commu-nity-based pipe net -works have been introduced

into low-income areas nation-ally to increase people'saccessibility to clean drinkingwater.Director for drinking waterdevelopment at the PublicWorks Ministry, Sitti Bel-lafolijani, said Monday thatcurrently most low-incomefamilies living in urban-slumareas had to pay up to 10times the average price com-pared to those living inwealthier areas for theirmonthly tap water."While most wealthier

Sumatra throughout the year.Financial constraints are

not the only obstacle prevent-ing piped water from reachinglow-income families. Prob-lems related to illegal landstatus, fear of water theft,leakages and inefficient waterbilling have also contributedto some PADMs refusing toexpand coverage.

ESP has introduced its"Communal Master Meter"program in response to thisissue, which involves a PDAMinstalling a meter for a cer-tain number of households ina community.

This program requires theestablishment of a communi-ty-based organization respon-sible for the operationand maintenance of the

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(PDAMs).The banks include state

lender Bank BRI and region-owned Bank Jatim and BankSumut.

ESP said it had facilitatedthe establishment of micro-credit programs for new pipedwater connections in 11PDAMs across Java and North

East KalimantanJakarta

Ba l i

Riau IslandsSouth Kal imantanAceh

without access to safe drink-ing water by 2015. Throughpiped water systems, saidGusril, people will be able toobtain the best quality safedrinking water.

Under a 2004 law on waterresources, the private sector isallowed to invest in the pipedwater industry

West Kalimantan M 9.27%M14.93%

Ban gka-Bel i tung Is lands M1 4.12%12.66%

Source: National Socioeconomic Survey, 2006 JP/ Irma