2. Information Media for Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation
From Editor 1
Advisor: Your Voice 2
Director General for Urban and
Main Report
Rural Development, Ministry of Settlement
and Regional Infrastructure Sanitation Underestimated 3
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All
Director of Human Settlement and Housing,
National Development Planning Agency
(WASH Campaign) 9
Republic of Indonesia Observing MDGs Sanitation 10
Director of Water and Sanitation, Interview
Ministry of Health
Director of Urban and Rural Eastern Region, Ir. Susmono
Ministry of Settlement and Regional “Sanitation Is More Important Than Electricity” 12
Infrastructure Article
Director of Natural Resources and Appropriate
Technology, Director General on Village and Ecological Sanitation 15
Community Empowerment, Lessons Learned From Sanitation Development 16
Ministry of Home Affairs
Drinking Water Service:
Director for Facilitation of Special Planning
Environment Management, Sustainability and Its Effect Upon Community
Ministry of Home Affairs Well-Being 18
Chief Editor:
Community Empowerment and Development System 20
Oswar Mungkasa Making Environmental Institutions More
Influential, An Idea 21
Board of Editor:
Hartoyo, Johan Susmono, Reportage
Indar Parawansa, Poedjastanto A piece of story from Ciliwung river bank
Never Drink River Water 22
Editor:
Maraita Listyasari, Rewang Budiyana, Manner
Rheidda Pramudhy, Joko Wartono, Phytoremediation An Effort to Process Wastewater
Essy Asiah, Mujiyanto
with Plant Media 24
Design: “Agus Gunarto” Household Wastewater
Rudi Kosasih Treatment System 26
Production:
Telescope
Machrudin Kabupaten Subang: Pioneer in Formulation of
Drinking Water and Environmental Sanitation Policy 27
Distribution:
Anggie Rifki H.M. Machri S., Chairman of Bappeda, Kabupaten Subang
“This is the Community’s Demand” 28
Address: Book Info 29
Jl. Cianjur No. 4, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat
Phone: (021) 31904113 CD Info 30
e-mail: redaksipercik@yahoo.com Website Info 31
redaksi@ampl.or.id
Field Visit 32
oswar@bappenas.go.id
Waspola 34
AMPL 38
Unsolicited article or opinion items are welcome.
Please send to our address or e-mail.
Library 42
Don't forget to be brief and accompanied Glossary 43
by identity. Agenda 44

3. F ROM EDITOR
Dear readers,
As time flows we were not aware that
this is the moment for us to meet each
other again. In the meantime we have
done our best to make changes in order to
make Percik more enjoyable to read,
attractive and it serves as an accurate re-
ference for one observing, studying, ma-
naging water supply and environmental
sanitation service in Indonesia.
We try our best that each edition con-
tains inter-related topics. In the last edi-
tion, Percik brought you Millennium De-
velopment Goals, in the present it is car-
rying issues related to sanitation. This to-
pic is important because it represents one
of the targets in MDGs that must be
achieved in 2015. Moreover, sanitation is
one of the nagging problems in Indo-
nesia.
In the decade of 1980s there was the
Water and Sanitation Decade. But the
outcome is below expectation. Various
constraints were cropping up. From the
community side, awareness and know- domestic waste processing system. The
ledge is wanting. Let alone low income as In the decade of 1980s system has been internationally acknow-
another major stumbling block. It is ag- ledged for its "sophistication" and in
gravated with the outbreak of economic there was the Water and 2001 won World Technology Award in
crisis of 1997. Based on monitoring, a na- Sanitation Decade. England. Besides, in a larger scale, it is
tion with a GNP of less than USD 1.000 But the outcome is below also advisable to look into waste water
must have a poor sanitation condition. management by phytoremediation me-
To this community priorities are many expectation. Various con- thod, using plants as media for neutrali-
things other than sanitation. From the straints were cropping up. zing heavy metal and radioactive contam-
government side, central as well as re- From the community side, inated water. This technology is also re-
gional, budget allocation for sanitation is commendable to remedy solid waste dis-
small. Sanitation is no priority. Whereas awareness and posal site.
to improve awareness level of the com- knowledge is wanting. Dear Readers,
munity an integrated movement is need- Compared from the earlier editions
ed. This is just about the basic sanitation, the present Percik is already comple-
let alone the environmental sanitation resource. Human excrement is proces- mented with an ISSN. Its contents are
which is way beyond expectation. sed in situ until it is free from pathogenic more varied. There are new columns:
Therefore, sanitation is not an indepen- organisms and then recycled into farming Teropong (telescope), Info CD, and Light
dent issue and need an involvement of all activity. Large scale application of this News. Glossary re-emerges. Wawasan
the stakeholders. technology can free soil, river, lake and (insight) brings with it more than 2 arti-
It is interesting to learn form ecologi- sea from contamination from human cles. This is intended to present you with
cal sanitation which has been practised in waste. more information. Photographic and car-
East Asia for hundreds of years. Ecologi- As an interesting solution to basic toon illustrations are inserted in several
cal sanitation is a cycle, or a close loop sanitation question, we are offering you articles. We hope this serves for your sa-
system which processes human waste as a Agus Gunarto's success in developing a tisfaction. Best regards.
Percik 1
June 2004

4. Y OUR VOICE
Bravo Percik
Inter-agency integration is a prerequi- PHOTO’S GALLERY
site. This is reflected in Percik. Without
integrity it is impossible to have Percik
appear before us. Percik which specifical-
ly discusses water supply and environ-
mental sanitation issues from top to bot-
tom has been read by all from the high
officials to the common people.
If I may suggest, aside from the
national policy, it might be plausible if
Percik also publish WSS related commu-
nity initiative from various locations that
might inspire those who work in the same
field.
agusto71@yahoo.com
NGO activist
Thank you for your suggestion. As a
new media, Percik will always be open to
any input and suggestion. Up to this time
we have been trying our best to have the
WSS related stories from all over the
country, the success and the failure. Yet
there is limit to what we get. We will con-
tinue to try so that Percik can be better
and satisfy your expectation. (Ed.)
SOURCE: MUJIYANTO
Additional Article
To begin with, I would like to congra- You've made a good suggestion. We time she uses a public toilet.
tulate for the issuance of Percik bulletin. I will try it in the forthcoming editions as I would suggest to include the expert's
have read Percik from 1st through 3rd edi- Percik's distribution coverage becomes opinion in several relevant subject mat-
tions. This bulletin contains a lot of use- larger. Up to now the coverage area is ters, through an interview, for instance,
ful information for those who work within still limited so that many of the experts attached to the respective article. The
the realm of water supply and environ- may not be aware of Percik's existence. author's opinion should not be too domi-
mental sanitation. And this can generate As for the WSS Working Group agenda nant in a reportase writing. And lastly, I
interest from those who are not yet inte- we have included it in each edition am convinced that all Percik Editorial
rested to water supply and environmental though not in a complete form. We will staff would be respectful to a president
sanitation issues. try to present the agenda in a better for- and vice president candidate who care for
I would like to suggest the readers mat in the future. (Ed.) WSS issues in Indonesia. Regards.
would consider adding into it a more aca- Romli
demic treatise as a balance to the issues Lack of Expert's Opinion A Percik reader
related to water supply and sanitation. In Jakarta
addition, since this bulletin is one of the Reading Percik, I am interested in
activities of the WSS Working Group, it Cermin (mirror) of Edition II/Oct. 2003 In reportase writing we deliberately
might be recommendable to also insert its and Reportase (Edition III/Febr. 2004) make it as a light feature story thus inclu-
agenda of activities so that the readers columns. The columns illustrate Indone- sion of personal opinion is likely to hap-
would be aware of how far the Group has sian community struggle with the "ro- pen. Your suggestion for inserting an
tried to respond to the problems related to mantics" of the world of WSS. From Cak expert's opinion is worth consideration.
water supply and environmental sanita- Solekhan of Kureksari, Sidoarjo who like We all hope that the president and vice
tion. "an owl dreaming for a moon" is yearning president candidates care for water sup-
Fany Weda for a water supply access from the local ply and environmental sanitation issues.
A Percik reader PDAM network till Ms. Yani of Jakarta (Ed.)
Jakarta who has no objection to pay Rp2.000 each
2 Percik
June 2004

5. MA I N R E P O R T
SANITATION
UNDERESTIMATED
T
SOURCE: OSWAR MUNGKASA he awareness of the importance
of sanitation to the modern soci-
ety began with a sanitation revo-
lution in the 19th century in London, in
1832 to be exact, when Metropolitan
Water Act made it a requirement that
drinking water supply must be provided
through a filtering process. Soon after-
wards, John Snow proved it that after
termination of river Thames pumping at
Broad Street the prevalence of cholera
epidemic in London in 1855 was sub-
siding.
The prevalence of cholera epidemic of
Hamburg in 1892 explicitly indicates the
correlation between contaminated water
with disease. While a routine bacterial
examination in water supply service was
introduced in London since 1885, and the
use of chlorine in processing drinking
water was since started, which perhaps
represents the most efficient technology
at that time.
It could be summarized that the
awareness of the importance of sanitation
started only in the middle of 19th century.
However, the awareness was not directly
followed with a real action. As an illustra-
tion, even in the United States the federal
government allocated a subsidy budget
for sanitation purposes only as late as
1950s. Sanitation development became a
reality only after the establishment of an
institution called Environmental Protec-
tion Agency (EPA) and the launching of
Sanitation does not seem an alien word to us. However,
Water Pollution Act in early 1970s.
there are perhaps only very few of us who realize how At the global level, only in 1980s the
United Nations proclaimed 1981-1990 as
important sanitation is to our life. The importance of Water Decade which indicates that drink-
sanitation may be appropriately represented by a state- ing water and sanitation is acknowledged
as an important matter which concerns
ment made by Mahatma Gandhi: "Sanitation is more the nations of the whole world. Since
important than independence". then, drinking water and sanitation is no
more the concern of only a few nations.
Percik 3
June 2004

6. MA I N R E P O R T
From the proclamation of the Water community health has been generally
Decade up to now, the time lapsed has understood. To a greater extent infant
Water Decade:
been long enough. But a question re- mortality rate is caused by a poor water 1981-1990
mains in our mind why up to now sanita- and sanitation condition. The same is In 1980 the UN declared Interna-
tion has not been our interest or priority said about the prevalence of diarrhoeal tional Water and Sanitation Decade
in our daily life in Indonesia. Unlike case for a specific location. At a global for the purpose of improving the
drinking water which relatively has level, WHO estimates that 1,8 million universal access to water and sa-
gained a measurable attention, sanitation annual death tolls are caused by diarrhea. nitation in the developing nations.
here in this country, still remains a sub- While approximately 5.500 children die Access is determined by each indi-
ject not worth any consideration. daily from contaminated water and food. vidual nation, but in general it is
Although Water Decade has long gone The rate of infant mortality in slum areas agreed that each person needs 20
behind us, yet sanitation has not received reaches 121 for every 1.000 child births in litres of water every day and is
as much attention as drinking has had is 2001. taken from a source not more than
also evidenced from the world level policy It is estimated that the direct and indi- 1,6 km from where he lives
makers. In the MDGs initial targets set- rect economic cost from poor sanitation The achievement of Water Decade
ting, sanitation was not placed as an expli- in Indonesia is estimated at 2,4 percent of is determined by an increase of
cit target but rather as a corollary conse- Gross Domestic Product in 2001 (approx. service at an average of 10 percent
quence to the management of slum areas. Rp65 trillion) or Rp180.000 per capita with the majority takes place in the
Through an intensive campaign by sever- per annum. This amount is considered rural areas
al water and sanitation activities includ- too high especially when compared with Water Decade is considered a fai-
ing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene e.g. educational budget which is only lure despite of success in incre-
(WASH) it was only in the Sustainable Rp15,34 trillion per annum. asing the service but the population
Development Meeting in Johannesburg in A study on the impact of sanitation to growth is bigger in excess of 20 -
2002 that sanitation became one of the the economy in the cities of Yogyakarta 30 percent.
main targets together with drinking and Medan in 2000 indicates relatively
water. low figures: Rp100.000 and Rp90.000
per capita per annum in Yogyakarta and costs to the economy, this of course will
The Importance of sanitation Medan, respectively. adversely influence economic growth.
The role of sanitation in relation to If poor sanitation charges additional This is empirically proven from several
studies which conclude that good sanita-
tion condition is one of the prerequisites
for economic growth.
FACTS ABOUT WATER AND SANITATION What is less understood is perhaps the
effect of water supply and sanitation to
Year 2000: 2,4 billion of world population lack access to improved sanitation, and direct income improvement through less
81 percent of them are in the rural areas. Besides, 1,1 billion lack access to expenditure for water and sanitation pur-
drinking water facility, 86 percent of them are rural population poses.
More than 2,2 million people of the developing nations, most of them children, An acceptable water and sanitation
die every year from the diseases related to lack of water supply, poor sanitation condition also decreases expenditure for
and poor hygiene condition health care and treatment of water and
Approximately there are 6.000 children die from poor sanitation every day. This sanitation related diseases.
figure is equal to the casualties of 20 Boeing aircraft accidents every day Besides, productivity increases be-
An acceptable water supply and sanitation service reduces the prevalence of cause there are less inactive days due to
cholera by 26 percent sickness.
Poor sanitation reduces attendance of girl students at schools To state it simply, an improved water
National economic condition is aggravated with the need to allocate additional supply and sanitation service will reduce
fund for health care and medication, and the loss of productive hours caused by poverty, improve health status, productiv-
poor water supply and sanitation. ity, competitiveness, and eventually the
economic growth.
4 Percik
June 2004

7. MA I N R E P O R T
Agreement on Sanitation from Our challenge in Indonesia is how to
replicate the international promotional
Johannesburg Summit 2002 successes to Indonesian stakeholders.
T he provision of an acceptable sanitation facility is necessary to protect the
health condition of human being and the environment. For this purpose, we
agree to reduce by half, in year 2015, the proportion of population who are with-
Currently 80 percent of world popula-
tion (1,9 billion) are without access to
sanitation and mostly are the rural popu-
out access to basic sanitation, that will cover the following activities at all levels lation. It is acknowledged that most of
to: the population growth takes place espe-
i develop and implement an efficient household sanitation cially in the urban slums, therefore the
ii improvement of sanitation in public institution particularly school attention to urban slums is of the same
iii promote a safe hygienic practice rate as that of the villages.
iv promote education to children as agent of change Other matter that must be taken into
v promote an acceptable and affordable technology and practice in con- consideration is that access to sanitation
formance with the local socio-cultural condition is different among different nations as it
vi develop a partnership mechanism and innovative payment system is among regions within a nation. This
vii integrate sanitation into water resources development strategy condition makes it necessary for the plan-
ners to make implementation priorities
so that an investment can be made so as
Facts and Global Challenge same time poses a big challenge for the to reach an optimum result.
In September 2000, The UN General government and the international institu- The sustainability of a sanitation pro-
Assembly proclaimed the Millennium tions to reach the target. It is even under- gram becomes a crucial factor when the
Development Goals (MDGs) which con- stood as the most ambitious of all MDGs availability of drinking water is a con-
sists of targets set by global communities targets. Presently only 16 percent of the straint. The population growth makes the
to reduce poverty and improve health and developing nations (cf. 37 percent for requirement for drinking water rises
welfare of the whole nation. In Septem- drinking water) are considered capable of sharply, and it is estimated that by 2025
ber 2002, in the World Summit on Sus- achieving the targets. With the present 35 percent of the world population will
tainable Development in Johannesburg level of investment, in Africa the MDGs live in the urban areas with drinking
the UN reaffirmed the MDGs and put an targets can only be achieved by 2050, water problem. The present sanitation
additional targets specifically pertaining Asia 2025, and Latin America by 2040. system needs 50-100 litres of water to
to hygiene and sanitation. This repre- Without a political will and a real com- flush 1-1,5 litres of human waste every
sents the global community resoluteness mitment, the targets cannot be realized. day. This system causes a small amount
about the importance of sanitation. SOURCE: BAMBANG PURWANTO
It is estimated that by 2015 the world
population will reach 7 billion and the
majority of the growth takes place in the
developing nations. The growth will
increase the number of population with-
out access to acceptable sanitation to 3,4
billion by that year. To fulfill the MDGs
target WHO estimates that an additional
150 million population have to have
access to sanitation each year. Looking at
our present capacity the MDGs target can
only be reached in 2025. The govern-
ment and donor institutions and coun-
tries must work hard. Why not involve
the community to share this heavy bur-
den?
The inclusion of sanitation in the
MDGs represents a giant step but at the
Percik 5
June 2004

8. MA I N R E P O R T
SOURCE: BAMBANG PURWANTO
of human waste contaminates a large tamination.
amount of water. The need for an alter- Developing nations are faced
native sanitation which requires less with several problems in the appli-
water becomes the present day challenge. cation of flush toilet. Beside water
Finding a sustainable and environmen- insufficiency, the availability of
tally friendly method in achieving MDGs wastewater treatment system is
targets is one of the global challenges. also problematic. As a conse-
The other challenge is to translate the quence, wastewater from a septic
term sanitation into a commonly and tank is disposed of into an
widely understood by all. Take as an improper place. If there were
example, in Germany there is no such wastewater treatment facility, mo-
term comparable to sanitation, so that the re often than not it is not function-
German use abwasser which means waste ing properly.
water. As a result, there are many who Water scarcity becomes a more
translate the MDGs basic sanitation tar- prominent problem of the world.
get as waste water treatment. In Asia and It cannot be solved only through
Africa the translation of basic sanitation conservation but must also be sup-
has nothing to do with sewerage drain. ported with reduction in water
Sanitation is like a double edged use. Sanitation is obviously one of
sword. It is part of solution but at the the causes since the present envi-
same time also as a part of a problem. ronmental sanitation system
The use of a large amount of water to needs at least 10 litres of water for one Capital intensive sanitation system
flush human excrement contributes to flushing, while for daily eating and drink- such as the ones being developed present-
water scarcity problem, while waste- ing one person needs only 5 litres at the ly is more appropriate for the developed
water is one of the causes of water con- most. While the more water used for san- world but not for the developing nations.
itation the bigger the investment is need- It has come the time to review the system
ed to process the waste water. so far being developed. The basic ques-
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT The investment requirement cannot tion is how appropriate is the sanitation
PROGRAM (UNDP) PRIORITY be fulfilled from the local resources, and wastewater treatment system devel-
therefore government assistance or sub- opment so far being implemented?
Improve the local and national ca- sidy must be provided for. As for the Whether it is not recommendable to find
pacity in the management of water urban areas, the majority of users are the a water thrifty alternative and apply the
resources development, sanitation rich, thus most of the assistance or sub- recycling principle? The alternative
and drinking water supply including sidy goes to the well-to-do families. The should not be limited for the poor fami-
the civil society, private and public cost incurred for wastewater treatment is lies but must also be applicable to the
sectors. 5-6 times higher than that for drinking homes of the well-to-do who in reality are
Support the community/household water. the major users of the present sanitation
through provision of grant to im- Difficulty in financing threat has been system.
prove water supply and sanitation - lingering around sanitation development It is recognized that sanitation has not
with specific emphasis on ecologi- in the world. Currently the expenditure received the proper attention from the
cal sanitation. for wastewater treatment amounts to whole community therefore it needs a
Support ecosystem based solution USD14 million a year while an additional more comprehensive public campaign.
to human waste treatment in the of USD56 million is awaiting if the MDGs The latest anthropological studies indi-
framework prevention of diseases targets are to be achieved. Quite a signi- cate that embarrassment becomes the
and protection of the environment. ficant additional investment. The target most prominent aspect that motivates
Support and strengthen the partici- investment could actually be reduced if a behavioural change. Health and hygiene
pation of women in sanitation, drin- less costly appropriate technology be- logic has had less influence in compari-
king water and water source mana- comes an alternative. In addition, ano- son to social logic such as reputation or
gement. ther alternative such as ecological sanita- moral logic such as embarrassment in
tion should also be considered. attracting the community's attention to
6 Percik
June 2004

9. MA I N R E P O R T
SANITATION CONDITION OF RURAL IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
the importance of sanitation. This is below the national average.
probably the reason why the present Indonesia is one of S.E Asian
sanitation motto reads sanitation is Cambodia countries with the lowest sewerage
Laos
dignity. This condition may radically system coverage. The investment le-
Vietnam
change the present conventional vel of investment in sanitation is rel-
Indonesia
campaign format. South East Asia atively the lowest in Asia. Only a few
Myanmar big cities such as Jakarta, Medan,
Indonesian condition Philipine Solo, Yogyakarta, Cirebon, Banjar-
Up until year 2002 the proportion Thailand masin, Balikpapan, Tangerang are
of Indonesian population who have Malaysia with a centralized sewerage system,
access to an acceptable basic sanita- yet with a limited coverage. In total
tion, consisting of drop pit latrine or this covers not more than 2,16 per-
septic tank, was 63,5 percent. In vil- cent of Indonesian population.
lages the proportion is relatively SANITATION CONDITION OF URBAN IN SOUTH EAST ASIA The absence of formal network
lower, only 52,5 percent, while in the and infrastructure has made house-
Cambodia
urban 77,5 percent. Although the holds and small scale service
Laos
total number of households with Indonesia providers provide the majority of
access is seemingly high, we have to South East Asia services, including installation and
look more closely into the figure. Vietnam draining off services. It is estimated
There is an indication that the actual Myanmar 73 percent of urban households have
Philipine
number might be lower. The number on-site sanitation, mostly with
Thailand
tells us the available facilities without Malaysia underrated septic tank construction.
saying anything about quality. It is Singapore While on the other hand, wastewater
estimated that at this time many of disposal system is insufficient
the basic sanitation facilities should including lack of wastewater treat-
not be used anymore because they do ment installation. This condition re-
not meet hygiene and environmental SANITATION CONDITION IN SOUTH EAST ASIA presents one of the main causes for
requirement. As an illustration, in environmental pollution, both gro-
Cambodia
rural areas the septic tank is located und as well as surface water which is
Laos
less than 10 m from a water source. Vietnam the primary source for PDAM water.
In comparison to other S.E Asian Indonesia Sanitation is not a priority for the
countries such as Singapore, Asia central as well regional governments.
Thailand, Philippines the condition in Myanmar Investment for sanitation by central
Malaysia
Indonesia is falling behind. Our sani- government either through APBN or
Philipine
tation condition here equals with that Thailand from loan has not made any mean-
of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, Singapore ingful improvement. A loan funded
which were just been out from war. project such as Water Supply and
Looking extensively at the condi- Sanitation for Low Income
tion in each province, one will find in Communities (WSSLIC)-1 and -2,
PROPORTION OF HOUSEHOLD WITH
many areas a sanitation condition including a project currently under
IMPROVED SANITATION IN INDONESIA
one will be apprehensive about, such preparation Community Water
as a proportion of households with- Supply and Health (CWSH), though
P
out access to sanitation above 50 per- R clearly indicates sanitation in the
O
cent level. The majority of the areas P project title, yet in reality sanitation
are in East Indonesia such as NTB, O is playing a relatively small portion.
R
Gorontalo, Maluku, Papua, C. Su- T Especially after the regional autono-
I
lawesi, C. Kalimantan, S. Kalimantan, O my, with authority now in the hands
N
W. Kalimantan. Some areas in West of the regions, sanitation tends to be
Indonesia, such as West Sumatra and underestimated. However, an effort
West Java also have their sanitation such as Sanitasi oleh Masyarakat
Rural Urban Total
Percik 7
June 2004

10. MA I N R E P O R T
include the strategy in linking household,
(SANIMAS, Sanitation by the community, and city wide sanitation sys-
Community) Project as well other com- AN IMPORTANT aspect in an ad-
tems; coordination among institutions at
munity based sanitation activities, have vocacy is the participation of the commu- the central, regional and other stakehold-
at least indicated a promising indication nity and advocacy does not only cover ers; decentralization in sanitation man-
of government and community attention changes on program and policy (policy agement; rural vs. urban sanitation.
to sanitation. dimension), but also (i) capacity buil- The investment budget currently
ding, organizational skill and empower- available is considered insufficient to
Important Issue and Plan for ment of civil society and its involvement cover the whole demand. The investment
the Future in decision making (civil society dimen- does not only cover the costs for new con-
Although at the national level the sion), (ii) improve the legitimate civil struction but also for operation and
access to basic sanitation is relatively society and improve the accountability of maintenance purposes. Besides, addi-
high, there is an indication that the data public institutions (democracy dimen- tional fund is also needed for handling
do not represent the actual situation. The sion); (iii) improve the poor community's environmental pollution caused by faulty
coverage data do not mention anything awareness of its right and obligation urban sanitation system. Lack of incen-
about the quality of the available basic (individual interests dimension). tive for the local government is one of the
sanitation. The high rate of ground water reasons. There are a number of questions
pollution is hypothetically caused by the suggested, among others, (i) how to
low quality basic sanitation facility. It is It has been acknowledged that sanita- mobilize fund for city scale sanitation sys-
deemed necessary to develop a more tion does not only relate to technological tem; (ii) what is the government pre-
detailed data base to indicate the quality and environmental aspects but equally paredness for an alternative financing
of the available facility. important is its relation to changes in format; (iii) how could the community
Unlike drinking water, sanitation is behaviour and cultural habit of the com- participation for sanitation system provi-
not yet an issue. This relates to inequity munity. To change people's behaviour sion be strengthened.
in demand for sanitation. The communi- and cultural habit is done through educa- Sanitation has an impact to various
ty does not consider sanitation as an tion. Therefore schoolchildren become aspects of human life, including poverty,
important demand. When the communi- the most appropriate medium for intro- health, cleanliness, pride, even economic
ty does not put sanitation as a demand duction of the changes. Sanitation should growth, such as mentioned in many
then the politicians would just neglect it. be included within educational curricu- reports and studies. Unfortunately, sani-
At the most, though they began to realize lum. tation has not received a proper attention
it but because of budget limitation they
WASPOLA project has produced a it deserves. It seems there is still a lot to
just opt in favour of activities that have
National Policy for Water Supply and be done before sanitation could win an
been acknowledged as a community
Environmental Sanitation development, attention from the government, the pri-
demand.
though it is still necessary to undertake a vate sector and the community. Are we
The important message is, sanitation
more profound study on the sanitation going to remain an idle spectator and do
must reach the hands of decision makers.
aspect of policy. Some of the important nothing? Everything will depend on all of
In normative term sanitation is impor-
issues that we need to develop deeper us. OM
tant but without any demand pressure
from the community sanitation can never
be a political issue. Sanitation must be
raised to a political issue. Requirement for a successful wastewater treatment
Conducting advocacy in order to IN ONE of the reports published sents an integral part of urban water
make the community understand the by United Nations Environmental supply and sanitation management;
importance of sanitation can be consid- Program (UNEP) there is a specific (iv) setting of definite time frame and
ered as the initial step. Advocacy can be mention about several important clear indicator; (v) appropriate choice
made in many ways. It is needed to issues as the main requirements for a of technology in order to get an effec-
improve the decision making quality and successful community level waste- tive and efficient water use through
community participation in its process. water treatment system, namely (i) considering environmentally friendly
An effective advocacy does not only come political commitment and domestic technology alternative; (vi) application
in the form of a promotion on the impor- financing sources; (ii) water supply of demand responsive approach; (vii)
tance of drinking water supply and sani- and sanitation development manage- participation of all stakeholders, and
ment is not limited to provision of faci- application of the principle of trans-
tation but also include other dimensions
lity but to also include hygiene beha- parency in management and decision
such as policy, civil society, democracy,
viour; (iii) environmental aspect repre- making.
and individual interests.
8 Percik
June 2004

11. MA I N R E P O R T
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All
(WASH Campaign)
When all components within a community are still at a low level of The main attention in the provision of
awareness on matters related to sanitation, it is necessary to basic services must be made as the main
develop a strategic, effective and easily understood enlightenment agenda which is known as poverty reduc-
measure. One of the global campaign format and worth consi- tion and sustainable development pro-
dering for replication is the WASH Campaign gram.
What is WASH Campaign? This condition makes several interest- What can we do?
WASH campaign represents an effort ed parties realize that water supply and Some of the steps we could take are:
based on the initiative of several organi- sanitation development is not simply a Establishment of inter-sector and in-
zations and individuals to make drinking physical construction work. A lot of other ter-agency partnership
water supply, sanitation, and hygiene as a activities need be done all of which are We realize that drinking water supply
part of common awareness. WASH aimed at an effort to improvement of and sanitation management must be
Campaign was launched at an interna- knowledge and awareness of the impor- undertaken through inter-sector ar-
tional conference 'Freshwater' in Decem- tance of sanitation. One of the activities rangement therefore the involvement
ber 2001 by Water Supply and Colla- is a structured and sustainable campaign of all stakeholders from the govern-
borative Council (WSSCC). The main aimed at all stakeholders both at decision ment, private sector, university, NGO,
purpose is to improve awareness of the maker and community levels. and professional association becomes a
importance of sanitation, drinking water, prerequisite.
and hygiene, and obtain a political and What is the main theme of the Promotion of institutional reform
social commitment from world leaders. campaign? In this case reform is understood as a
There are four main themes to go with means to improve public accountabili-
Why campaign is so important? the campaign: ty, improve regulation, establishment
There have been a number of mea- Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hy- of effective monitoring effort in order
sures taken such as the declaration of giene can save human life. to arrive at a quality service.
Water Decade but the number of popula- Millions of people die each year from Sharing of information and experience
tion who are without access to drinking dirty environment, and contaminated Establishment of network for sharing
water supply and sanitation remains in water and food. Improved sanitation of information and experience among
the staggering height. There are current- and hygiene condition can save many stakeholders will improve the quality of
ly 1,1 billion people who are without lives and reduce the prevalence of dis- water supply and sanitation develop-
access to water and 2,4 billion are without eases. ment implementation.
access to improved sanitation. These fig- Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygi- Community mobilization and applica-
ures will keep growing in line with world ene for the Community: Priority is gi- tion of community based approach
population growth. ven to Women and Children. Using community group network and
Many decision makers do not realize Women and children are more suscep- direct involvement of the community in
that sanitation is not a dirty job. They do tible to the effect of water scarcity, lack the campaign process will help in
not realize that provision of access to a of sanitation and poor hygiene condi- behavioural change process and impro-
relatively cheap sanitation facility can tion. vement of the community awareness
reduce half of the number of death tolls Policy reform is important for the Collaboration with mass media
caused by water and sanitation related improvement of water supply and sani- Mass media plays a significant role in in-
diseases. Even that drinking water, sani- tation service for the poor community. fluencing public opinion, and makes a
tation and hygiene is an entrance that The government, private sector and topic frequently presented to eventually
leads to poverty reduction measures has international institutions must give pri- become a public agenda. Regular connec-
not been a part of knowledge of the deci- ority and their resources for institu- tion with mass media, press conference,
sion makers. One of the reasons is that tional reform in order to make the prin- dissemination of information, public serv-
those who are in demand are the ones ciple of good governance a reality. ice advertisement, training for reporters in
with the weakest political status so that Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation and water supply and sanitation will become
the leaders could not gain any incentive Hygiene represent the entrance to an effective means.
from handling their problem. poverty reduction. (Summarized from WASH Campaign)
Percik 9
June 2004

12. MA I N R E P O R T
Observing MDGs Sanitation
M
SOURCE: AMPL DOCUMENTATION
illennium Development
Goals (MDGs) have been
agreed by world leaders
for the purpose of future
development (for details
please refer to Percik ed. 3). From 8
goals, 18 targets and more than 40 indica-
tors, drinking water and sanitation is
directly related to Goal 7 sustainable
environmental management and Target
10 reduction by half in 2015 the propor-
tion of people without sustainable access
to safe drinking water and basic sanitati-
on service.
Although MDGs represent an agree-
ment approved by 189 countries of the
world, and its approval is indicated by
placement of signatures directly by 147
heads of state/government, but the goal
achieving is not merely the responsibility
of the central government but also to
include local governments, legislative ment of water supply and sanitation tar- took 1990 as the base year. Besides,
bodies, civil society, mass media, and all get will greatly influence well-being of the MGDs target for sanitation is stated in
other stakeholders. population. terms of proportion and is not directly
The goals of MDGs are inter-related. referred to in an absolute number of peo-
As an illustration, goal 1 eradicate Sanitation Target Setting ple.
extreme poverty and hunger is closely The proclamation of MDGs was made Using the above assumption, the pro-
related to improvement in water safe in 2000, but one should recall that the portion of Indonesian population who
drinking and basic sanitation . Achieve- calculation to arrive at the target setting had had access to basic sanitation in 1990
was 30 percent. This means that in 1990
70 percent of the population are without
INDONESIAN TARGET OF SANITATION IN MDGs sanitation, therefore we come the figure
35 percents which represents the propor-
tion of population who must have service
by 2015. This further means that in 2015
the proportion of population who would
have improved sanitation service is 65
percent. This target is presented in 'Indo-
nesia Progress Report on the Millennium
Development Goals' which was published
in February 2004 and represents the offi-
cial document from the Indonesian go-
vernment.
In the meantime the National Action
Plan (NAP) on Wastewater Development
published in 2003 by Ministry of Settle-
year ment and Regional Infrastructure Deve-
lopment, there are 2 scenarios. Scenario
Indonesian version NAP version MDGs version
1 uses the proportion of world population
who are without access to service in year
10 Percik
June 2004

13. MA I N R E P O R T
2000 as the base for calculation which PROPORTION OF HOUSEHOLD WITH REASONABLE SANITATION
arrives at a figure 85,75 percent of popu-
ACCESS BY PROVINSI (2002)
lation to have access by 2015. Scenario 2
West Nusa Tenggara
uses the proportion of population with Gorontalo
Maluku
access to service in 2000 and the projec- W. Sumatera
Papua
tion of Indonesian population in 2015. C. Sulawesi
Kalimantan
This arrives at a figure 70,71 percent of W. Java
W. Kalimantan
S. Kalimantan
Indonesians who must have access to the Bangka Belitung
S.E. Sulawesi
service in 2015. Jambi
Provinsi
Banten
The basic difference from the two cal- C. Java
S. Sulawesi
culations lies in (i) the difference in base S. Sumatera
Indonesia
Bengkulu
year, NAP uses 2000 as base, (ii) NAP E. Java
East Nusa Tenggara
bases its calculation on the proportion of N. Maluku
N. Sumatera
population who must have access using E. Kalimantan
Bali
population projection in 2015. N. Sulawesi
Riau
Lampung
Target setting is crucial for MDGs Yogyakarta
Jakarta
achievement. It is up to the stakeholders
to agree on this discrepancy because it PROPORTION
will affect the strategy and MDGs achieve-
ment planning.
If we look back to the 1990s when the
access to basic sanitation was only at 30 Diversity of condition in Indonesia the realm of the central government. It is
percent, and compare it with the condi- When setting the MDGs target above, therefore necessary to immediately take
tion in 2000 in which the figure has risen we were speaking at the national level proper action for socialization in the
to 63,5 percent, we could be optimistic which represents the average regional regions, of course after the central go-
that the MDGs sanitation target can be condition of Indonesia. Each region has vernment has made itself ready with a
reached. However, the target achieve- its own specific condition, sometimes wi- definite socialization strategy.
ment might be meaningless when we try dely different from the others. For exam-
to delve deeper into the facts behind the ple, NTB reached 41,2 percent when Ja- The role of WSS Working Group
figures. karta was at 93,2 percent. It should be realized that MDGs
As an illustration, one of the result of It is interesting to note how we will Indonesia document which was published
survey on shallow wells in Jakarta it was reach the national target. Are we going to
recently must be supplemented with
found out that 84 percent of the water focus on the national target without look-
MDGs special document on drinking
samples are contaminated with human ing into the targets of each of the individ-
water and sanitation which will serve as a
waste as indicated from the presence of ual regions? Or, each region is given
guideline for the stakeholders in MDGs
faecal coliform bacteria. This fact con- opportunity to set her own target based
drinking water and sanitation target for
firms the suspicion the basic sanitation on the regional capacity with respect to
Indonesia.
facilities especially those in the urban do the national target. There are other choic-
The Water Supply and Sanitation
not function properly. The figure 63,5 es to ponder with regard the target
percent only indicates the available facili- achievement. (WSS) Working Group is expected to play
ty, but the quality aspect has been over- In connection to MDGs target, it an active role in facilitating for the publi-
looked. As a result, the contamination should also be borne in mind the Law cation of such a document, which does
aspect is also overlooked. Thus when we 22/1999 on Regional Government has not only contain MDGs target setting, but
think we have reached the MDGs sanita- clearly stipulated the relinquishment of also the overall action plan and strategy
tion target the contamination might likely sanitation service management to the for achieving the target including moni-
be a bigger problem. The contamination respective regions, therefore the target toring and reporting aspects. A close coo-
issue must be dealt with properly if the achievement will obviously depend on peration with MDGs Indonesia Working
MDGs sanitation target achievement is to regional preparedness. Up to this time Group is unavoidable.
be meaningful. the echo on MDGs is still confined within (OM from various sources)
Percik 11
June 2004

14. I NTERVIEW
Ir. Susmono
"Sanitation Is More
Important Than Electricity"
The mesh entangling sanitation development in Indonesia is way from loosening. Presently we are speaking a lot about
Various efforts have been taken by the government to deal with this problem, but the community based sanitation system. And
result has not been what is expected. As time proceeds and population increase new with this spirit we will re-develop envi-
constraints continue to crop up one after the other. This can only be solved if all the ronmental sanitation in Indonesia which
stakeholders including the community work hand in hand to find the best solution has been lagging far behind our neigh-
because sanitation is not an issue that stands by itself. This sector must be regarded bouring countries such as Malaysia which
as government priority since the success in handling sanitation can guarantee the started much later than we, in 1980s.
health of the community. Ir. Susmono is one of those who have a keen interest and Environmental issues are becoming more
care in dealing with this sector. He happens to be an official of the Ministry of and more complex which makes it more
Settlement and Regional Infrastructures and a member of WSS Working Group. difficult to deal with. I think we have to
In order to shed a light on the sanitation condition in Indonesia and all its details exert more effort than we did in the
Percik interviewed him some time ago. Here are the highlights: 1980s. But the present situation doesn't
warrant for it.
C ould you highlight the sanita-
tion condition in Indonesia?
We will look back to the colonial time.
were proclaimed we were shocked again.
But the condition was not as favourable
as it was during the decades 1970 - 80s.
What is the main constraint?
From my own experience and from
observing statistical figures the indicators
The Dutch government had given atten- During that time the economy was in an for community health include infant mor-
tion to sanitation. Whatever the system excellent condition. There was a lot of tality rate, life expectancy, water borne
was, centralized or localized. We can see money. diseases and their prevention are impro-
the inheritance in big towns. We can find CARICATURE BY RUDI KOSASIH
sewerage system in Jakarta, Yogyakarta,
Bandung. But this was developed during
the colonial time. Naturally, there was a
discrimination. In the Dutch quarters
this was carefully maintained and pro-
tected while in that of the local communi-
ty this was not so. After independence,
apparently this has missed the attention.
We did more on road building, drinking
water supply, and so on. During the Wa-
ter Decade in 1981-90 we were startled,
awakened, so that within the time lapse
and 5 years after there was a significant
sanitation development in line with the
increase in GNP. When the economic cri-
sis knocked us over we seemingly fell
asleep again and concentrate ourselves
with the economic, political and social
crisis, although some sanitation develop-
ment works were still continuing such as
Denpasar sewerage, Surakarta sewerage.
But this is not a priority. When MDGs
12 Percik
June 2004

15. I NTERVIEW
SOURCE: MUJIYANTO
ving although we do not handle sanitation
in a proper manner. This means that each
individual is handling these in his own
way. I feel, as once I used to work togeth-
er with the program at village level to edu-
cate women on various aspect of family
welfare (PKK), the role of housewives is
quite significant in improving the figures.
Why? Because, their knowledge is steadi-
ly improving. Many printed materials ca-
me to their hands and they read them. It
is this knowledge that indirectly helps
them to have a toilet built. It is not the
national movement that motivates them.
This means that if it is complemented
with the national movement which we ha-
ve started in 1990s, the result probably
will be better. Otherwise it will be de-
creasing or at the most it will remain as it
is today.
eration: environment, heath infrastruc- water management to the provinces
To boost the development what ture, individual genetic characteristic,
constraint is to be faced? and cultural habit. What is the linkage between Na-
Improvement of income. It is quite tional Action Plan with MDGs?
obvious that people with very low income What steps does Ministry of As benchmark we refer to MDGs. We try
they do nt care about sanitation. As their Settlement & Regional Infrastruc- to translate the MDGs target into our goal.
income improves and they become better ture take to improve sanitation con-
knowledgeable and start thinking, but in dition in Indonesia? Is MDGs sanitation target realistic?
the beginning it is self protection. What is We are preparing National Action In the document there is a mention of
important one's own good, home and Plan, though it has discussed only twice adequate sanitation. This term can be bro-
immediate surrounding. Outside that it is and this year it is undergoing revision. ught up or down. But in Surabaya Mrs. Erna
none of his business. However, we have been collecting data or Witoelar herself said something else. She
While those who live from hand to consolidating during 1990 up to 2000. changed it into basic sanitation. With basic
mouth, their whole effort is to find food. The National Action Plan has completed sanitation, we think we can do it. But with
For that purpose road and market are pri- up to final draft. This year it will be bro- adequate sanitation, it will be difficult.
orities. Drinking water to follow next. As ught to discussion with colleagues at the
for defecating, it can be done anywhere. regions, Bappenas, and others in order to What is the difference?
From the data I come up with, a na- reach an agreement from all by the end of Basic sanitation intends to protect hu-
tion with a good sanitation after it reach- the year. If we could arrive at an agree- man being, while in adequate sanitation
es USD2.000 GNP. Below USD1.000 sa- ment and together with the Law on Water there is additionally environmental factor
nitation is not a subject to be discussed, it Resources and Government Regulation to be considered. Speaking of environ-
is considered as something not worth on Drinking Water and Sanitation which ment implies a high budget requirement.
talking about and in the government it is is said are to be combined, all of it will The net calculation is the adequate. What
given a very low budget allocation. So if become a national priority and each result we get by the end of the year, we
you want to deal with sanitation, first do province will prepare its local regulation don't know yet. As for basic sanitation we
something about income and education. based on the central guideline. We are can go with large scale promotion and we
In addition we need health service, such currently waiting for Government Regu- could expect 80 percent of urban popula-
as local government clinic (puskesmas). lation which is now in process. In the tion will have access to toilet of some
In short, speaking of sanitation there are meantime, we are also conducting social- kind. But don't ask what will happen to
4 influencing factors to take into consid- ization of National Action Plan on waste- the rivers.
Percik 13
June 2004

16. I NTERVIEW
What do you think about NGO environment. As we all know there are for a legislation. It happens quite often.
facilitated community based sanita- people who are capable, but not willing.
tion management? What is the influencing factor?
I have done it 20 years ago during the Which one has a higher priority, Because sanitation is not a priority.
Water and Sanitation Decade. But my the community based or the institu- Therefore it has never been considered as
target groups then were the "arisan" gro- tionally based? having any significance. If something
up, dasawisma. They were doing quite Must be developed in a symbiotic new happened such as an outbreak of
well, but later there was a reorganization relationship, they are not just moving muntaber (diarrhoea and vomiting) we
and shifting of responsibility, I have no side by side. Otherwise, they won't do. will then remember something. But
information what has happened with The government cannot walk alone. Both afterwards it is forgotten again. It hap-
them. What is called now NGO is actual- must be interconnected into one system. pens time and again. Perhaps other sec-
ly not a new thing to us. What the NGOs How to sew it, we will see later. In tors are more important. For me, sanita-
are doing are actually the same old thing. National Action Plan we haven't come to tion is more important than electricity.
What I noticed in the field are fresh wrap- such a detail. It is different from solid In a town number one is road, number
pings of an old thing. It is apparent that wastes where we have completed to the two water supply, third sanitation, then
when the community is better enlight- details. With wastewater we are in short come the others, electricity, telephone.
ened they are willing to share and they of data, therefore we have to use assump- On the contrary, now there are those who
care. Once again, the emphasis is on en- tion and it is time consuming. That is have a hand phone but having no toilet.
lightenment. Therefore I am quite plea- why we have done only up to the main
sed to see that they clad it in a new wrap- points. Hopefully by the end of the year How can the knowledge of the
ping. we can finish with the details. community be improved?
We will start with inserting it into
What other approaches are the- The management of community school curriculum, then into the printed
re beside community based mana- based sanitation development materials for women to read. We do pro-
gement? seems partial. How can we make it motion activity, campaigning. But do we
If we are speaking of sanitation, this more holistic? have someone who is capable and willing
can be divided into two categories. One Admittedly not yet. Take for instance, to motivate a campaign movement? If
belongs to community's responsibility there is a pilot project in a certain town. not, it will be difficult because it is from
and the other that of the government. We But after the project is over, both the there that we expect a behavioural change
cannot rely entirely on the community. community and the local government to take place.
That is where the institutionally based remain silent. This of course needs a
comes in. push to make them expand it. If they Which target community should
don't move, well, perhaps there is a need be prioritized, urban or rural?
Whether both of SOURCE: OSWAR MUNGKASA I think it does not make
them are contained any difference. Recorded
in the National access to sanitation in the
Action Plan? towns is approximately 89
Both of them are. percent. But the number of
But what is presently population who has an accept-
being handled is the able disposal facility is only
community based. And about 70 percent. In the vil-
motivating the commu- lages the recorded number of
nity will need more access is 63 percent. Here the
than just dissemina- coverage of disposal facility is
tion, socialization, something around 35 percent.
advocacy, and so on, Villagers prefer to defecate in
but also to include leg- rivers, gardens or fields be-
islation. This will be cause they have enough space.
deduced from law on For townspeople this is not
natural resources and possible. (MJ)
14 Percik
June 2004

17. A RTICLE
Ecological Sanitation
T
he conventional sanitation tech- treatment system directed towards reuse practiced since thousands of years ago. It
nology is based on the flow from of water and nutriment and reduction of is important to note that this system is
flush toilet, drainage conveyance, clean water consumption. not meant as a simple alternative just for
treatment installation, and disposal. To The environmental sanitation pre- the sake of the poor. ECOSAN principle
some environmentalists this technology sently being practiced is actually based on is applicable in a wide variety of social
tends to cause environmental pollution. the concept of keeping the environment economic conditions and in every nation.
There is an indication that the available clean, safe and free from contamination. In many countries the application of
system (flush toilet and wastewater treat- This includes wastewater treatment and farm manure from human excrement is a
ment) is not a solution but rather it is a prevention of disease. In reality, howev- rare practice. The more human excre-
part of the environmental problem. er, it turns out to cause environmental ment disposed of into rivers the more is
In conventional approach sanitation pollution. ECOSAN, on the other hand, is the degree of environmental pollution. It
means adding nutriments into the envi- based on the recycling principle. This is therefore recommendable to using the
ronment and disrupting the nutriment means maintaining the ecological cycle in closed loop system in order to prevent
cycle. The basic concept which says that a closed sanitation loop. Besides it saves bacterial or virus contamination and pro-
human excrement is a non useful waste is energy consumption through the applica- duction of farm manure.
misleading. Such an approach has caused tion of natural processes. If ECOSAN could be adopted in a large
a new pollution problem. In nature noth- Ecological sanitation is a cycle, or a scale, soil water, rivers, lakes, and seas are
ing is called waste, each product of life is closed loop system that processes human protected from human waste contamina-
used as raw material for the others. excrement as a resource. In this system tion. Less water is used. The farmers use
Recycling of human excrement and urine human excrement is processed in situ less inorganic fertilizers. Prolonged use of
through sanitation process and return it until it is free from pathogenic organisms. inorganic fertilizers has been the contributor
to the soil to recover the natural cycle of Then the sanitized waste is recycled by of environmental degradation.
materials is disrupted by the existing san- applying for agricultural purposes. The ECOSAN concept is supporting the
itation practice. main features of ecological sanitation are MDGs target achievement. The applica-
Starting from this concept, it is (i) prevention and pollution and preva- tion of ECOSAN can significantly reduce
deemed necessary to find an alternative lence of diseases caused by contamina- water consumption so that more could
solution that takes into consideration the tion from human waste; (ii) processing of have access to water. However, we must
ecological aspect. One of the alternatives human waste as a resource rather than as realize that many challenges are awaiting
is called ecological sanitation, abbreviat- useless waste; (iii) recovery and recycling before ECOSAN could be brought into the
ed ECOSAN. This terminology means an of nutriments. mainstream of sanitation management,
economically and ecologically sustainable ECOSAN is based on traditional sci- among others (i) rejection to new idea
sanitation system. ence in the form recycling and compost- because one is used to an old practice; (ii)
ECOSAN does not refer to any specif- ing of waste materials, but it is combined ECOSAN is a decentralized system so that
ic technology but rather it refers to all with modern science and the use of flush the cost is borne by the user; as an exam-
technologies and international regula- toilet. ple, the user must set aside some time to
tions in dealing with water scarcity and The principle of ECOSAN is not new, handle his own waste; (iii) financially the
sanitation issues in a better way. ECO- it has been practiced in East Asia for hun- application of ECOSAN is a burden espe-
SAN includes a closed loop wastewater dreds of years even in China it has been cially in locations where a conventional
system has been used because one has to
THE DISADVANTAGES OF THE CONVENTIONAL SANITATION SYSTEM consider the amount investment that has
Uncontrolled disposal of more than 90 percent of world wastewater· been put into the existing system.
A large amount of clean water is needed to flush off the waste· The application of ecological sanitation
Needs a large amount of investment, O&M costs, and energy concept in Indonesia is not impossible.
But, of course, we need a thorough study
THE ADVANTAGES OF ECOLOGICAL SANITATION before we could determine the advantages
Quality improvement of community health through minimizing the mixing of
derived from its application. This is a mat-
human excrement with water·
Natural resources conservation through less water consumption, minimizing ter of choice. Whether this system could
water pollution· become one of the choices in our communi-
Maintain soil fertility and increase agricultural productivity· ty? This is indeed a tickling question.
Wastewater is not disposed of but rather it is reused (OM from various sources)
Percik 15
June 2004

18. A RTICLE
Lessons Learned From
Sanitation Development
U
nlike in Indonesia, where sanita- areas as a traditional place for defecating; choice. The facilities offered to the com-
tion development is not properly (iv) a better knowledge in hygienic life; munity are produced in far away places
documented, in other countries (v) social status; (vi) improvement in wel- using a material that is difficult to find at
the document pertaining to sanitation is fare. the locality. In Indonesia and in Vietnam
well kept so that we could pick some les- Any of the above factors is not work- the design and technology that are con-
sons out of it. ing alone but they tend to work together trary to the local practice add to the
Lessons from foreign countries can, in stimulating the demand for a toilet. inhibiting list. The community uses
for example be obtained from various so- Identifying all the factors is one of the human waste to feed animal and fish-
urces among others Learning What keys to motivating the community in pond, thus a design which makes extrac-
Works for Sanitation. Revisiting Sanita- using toilet. tion of excrement difficult will certainly
tion Successes in Cambodia, WSP-EAP, be rejected; (ii) lack of communication
2002; Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion with the community about the advan-
in Lao PDR, WSP-EAP, 2000. However, tages and disadvantages of having a toi-
Construction of a toilet
documents about experience in Indonesia let; (iii) water scarcity or water source is
can also be found in Myth vs. Reality in
does not necessarily too far away from the toilet; (iv) previous
Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion, WSP- change hygiene behaviour. negative experience in relation to a toilet.
EAP, 2000 and Achieving Sustained Some practical As an example, dirty water flaring out
Sanitation for the Poor, WSP-EAP, 2001. considerations are still from a toilet. Lack of technical assistance
The following are several facts and shedding a dominant hue being one of the reasons;
lessons learned from Indonesia as well
into the daily habit.
Cambodia and Laos as summarized from Change in behaviour
the above documents:
Though toilet is From a population survey in Cam-
already there. bodia, it was revealed that although most
Stimulating Factors of the people own a toilet but this does
From the experience in Cambodia, not necessarily change their behaviour.
Vietnam and Indonesia, there are several Unlike stimulating factor, the inhibi- This is indicated from the fact that the
factors known as stimulating the demand ting factors of Cambodia, Vietnam and community is still defecating anywhere
for toilet, namely (i) an experience in see- Indonesia indicate a national variation.
ing and using a toilet in some other place, In the three nations the dominant inhibit-
such as in town or at a neighbour's; (ii) ing factor is low financial capacity of the Why does the community
availability of and ease in obtaining con- community. The poor tend to choose to need a toilet?
struction materials, availability of experi- pay in kind (labour or material). Other
enced construction workers; (iii) decreas- inhibiting factors are, (i) lack of, even it A SURVEY to households in the vil-
ing of woodlands, gardens, rice fields tends to be predetermined, informed lages of the Philippines reveals the
main reasons why a toilet is neces-
sary. In order of importance they are
STIMULATING FACTORS CAMBODIA VIETNAM INDONESIA as the following: (i) reducing the
Increased awareness swarming of flies; (ii) cleaner envi-
Availability of material & skilled worker ronment; (iii) privacy; (iv) prevent
Social status embarrassment when there is a
Lessening in open space areas
guest; (v) reducing prevalence of di-
Welfare status
sease. The list indicates that
Government promotion
Availability of land space
hygiene reasons are less important
Availability of technology choices than considerations for pride, com-
Availability of micro credit fort, and social status. (WHO)
16 Percik
June 2004