PUBLIC WORK MINISTRY TO TAKE OVER JAKARTA SEWERAGE PROJECT FROM DKI JAKARTA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION

The government will continue the Jakarta Sewerage project by taking over the project from the DKI Jakarta regional administration. Director General of Housing, Planning and Urban Development (Dirjen Cipta Karya) stated this matter after opening a Workshop on Program of Acceleration of Jakarta Residential Sewerage Construction in Jakarta on Tuesday (10/2).

According to Budiyuwono, Jakarta Sewerage System master plan has been prepared 15 years ago, but the local regional administration was unwilling to realize the plan. So, with the change of DKI Jakarta governor, the central government will continue the plan on domestic waste water treatment system in Jakarta.

Construction of Jakarta Sewerage System will be done gradually by dividing Jakarta into six zones. Zone one covers Setiabudi area up business center in Kota as a densely populated area with high pollution level.

Construction of Zone One requires a cost of around Rp6.7 trillion. For construction of integrated Sewerage system in the six zones, Rp70 trillion fund is required.

The Jakarta Sewerage System Master Plan is a grant from Jakarta International Cooperation Agency (JICA). If the project blueprint has been approved by the President, sources of fund for construction of the project will be sought, one of them is attempted to be obtained from the Japanese government. Construction of zone will take around three years.

Construction of Sewerage system is necessary as sewerage is serious problem to East Asian countries, including Indonesia. There are 671 million people who do not have access to proper sewerage system, and there are more than 100 million who dispose their feces carelessly that it causes more than 450 million diarrhea cases each year in East Asia, including Indonesia, while death toll due to water and sewerage-related diseases reaches 150,000 a year.

Budiyuwono stated that concerning sewerage condition is a big homework to all parties, including the central, provincial, argent/municipal governments as well as ministries and institutions. This problem must be solved by a breakthrough performed collectively. From the central government side, the budget is very large. When he worked as Dirjen Cipta Karya, he received a special budget for sewerage project at Rp800 billion a year. Now, the budget has increased to Rp30 trillion.

The Indonesian government has stated a global commitment through MDGs to decrease up to 50% of household proportion without sustainable access to drinking water and sewerage up to 2015. So, it is expected that by end of 2015, 62.41% of people (76.82% in the cities and 55.55% in rural areas) will have full access to safe drinking water and sewerage. Until 2010, Indonesia has reached a 55.54% target. It means that there is a 7.1% shortage. And, if 2015 becomes the deadline, each year Indonesia should reach target of averagely 2.3% of additional scope of sewerage service to the society each year. 

Business News - October 5, 2012