Tuesday, December 16, 2008 9

Clean water
pipe network
extended to
poorer areas
Sumatra throughout the year.
Erwida Maulia
Financial constraints are
Vie Jakarta Post/Jakarta
not the only obstacle prevent-
icrocredit financing ing piped water from reaching

M schemes and commu- low-income families. Prob-

nity-based pipe net- lems related to illegal land
works have been introduced status, fear of water theft,
into low-income areas nation- leakages and inefficient water
ally to increase people's billing have also contributed
accessibility to clean drinking to some PADM's refusing to
water. expand coverage.
Director for drinking water ESP has introduced its
development at the Public "Communal Master Meter"
Works Ministry, Sitti Bel- program in response to this
lafolijani, said Monday that issue, which involves a PDAM
currently most low-income installing a meter for a cer-
families living in urban-slum tain number of households in
areas had to pay up to 10 a community.
times the average price com- This program requires the
pared to those living in establishment of a communi-
wealthier areas for their ty-based organization respon-
monthly tap water. sible for the operation
"While most wealthier and maintenance of the
areas are connected to piped simple pipe network and
water, poorer regions have to master meter, including the
use either low-quality water flexible billing of customers
from contaminated shallow and monthly payments to
wells or rivers or buy it from PDAMs.
water vendors at higher According to the Public
prices," she said at the launch Works Ministry, piped water
of USAID's Environmental coverage reaches only 45 per-
Services Program (ESP) cent of households in urban
guidelines on access to drink- areas and barely 10 percent of
ing water. rural areas. The average per-
Director for settlement and centage of piped water service
housing at the National at a national level stands at
Development Planning Agen- 24 percent.
cy, Budi Hidayat, said the A 2006 National Economic
inaccessibility of piped water Survey data revealed that
in poorer areas was due to the most Indonesians obtain their
costs of installing new pipes, drinking water from non-
among other reasons. piped-water sources, includ-
ESP's Gusril Bahar said ing wells, underground
microcredit financing streams (using pumps),
schemes were allowing low- springs and rivers.
income families to pay for the Expanding the tap water
new water connections in networks will be crucial for
installments. Under this Indonesia should it wish to
scheme, local partner banks meet its Millennium Develop-
provide soft loans to help ment Goals.
families cover the costs and One of these targets it to
pay local tap water companies halve the number of people
(PDAMs). without access to safe drink-
The banks include state ing water by 2015. Through
lender Bank BRI and region- piped water systems, said
owned Bank Jatim and Bank Gusril, people will be able to
Sumut. obtain the best quality safe
ESP said it had facilitated drinking water.
the establishment of micro- Under a 2004 law on water
credit programs for new piped resources, the private sector is
water connections in 11 allowed to invest in the piped
PDAMs across Java and North water industry.

Nor.IPROVIN ;. ;PERCE NTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS

(PDAMs).
The banks include state
lender Bank BRI and region-
owned Bank Jatim and Bank
Sumut.
ESP said it had facilitated
the establishment of micro-
credit programs for new piped
water connections in 11
PDAMs across Java and North
without access to safe drink-
ing water by 2015. Through
piped water systems, said
Gusril, people will be able to
obtain the best quality safe
drinking water.
Under a 2004 law on water
resources, the private sector is
allowed to invest in the piped
water industry.

East Kalimantan

Jakarta

Bali

Riau Islands

South Kalimantan

Aceh

West Kalimantan M 9.27%

M14.93%

• • Bangka-Belitung Islands M1 4.12%

12.66%

Source: National Socioeconomic Survey, 2006 JP/ Irma