Bappeda & Litbangda of Magelang district and USAID IUWASH PLUS conducted a workshop on the advocacy and innovation strategy for sustainable regular desludging services in Magelang district on Thursday (12/13).
This workshop aimed at discussing on the advocacy and innovation strategy to gain supports from all relevant stakeholders for sustainable regular desludging services, including open defecation rate reduction.
Magelang district still has high open defecation rates. Based on the STBM data in 2018, about 16% of the population in the district still practice open defecation. Strong commitment from all relevant stakeholders, including the decision makers, is crucial to address the issue.
“The 2019-2024 regional medium term development plan (RPJD) draft covers sanitation issues. When the sanitation program is included in the RPJMD, it will be used to assess the regent’s annual performance so that it can be a priority program of the relevant government working units (OPDs) at sub-district to village level,” said the Head of Area and Infrastructure Development of Bappeda of Magelang District, Didik K. Sofyan.
Didik added that supports from private sectors, social organizations, and other stakeholders are significant in the sanitation development.
This workshop began with a good practice sharing from the Urban Sanitation Development Program (USDP) in Soppeng district, South Sulawesi, about the regent’s commitment to reduce BABS through SoBAT (Sopeng Bebas Ancaman Tinja/Soppeng free from fecal threat) movement.
The participants also learned how the Head of Pucungrejo village of Magelang district makes water and sanitation program one the village priority programs and increases the village budget allocation to support the program from Rp9 million in 2016 to Rp110 million in 2019.
Learning from Soppeng and Pucurejo’s experiences, the participants agreed that commitment from the decision makers is significant to reduce open defecation practices.
In addition, the participants also agreed a number of advocacy and innovation strategy, among others are 1) Bappeda & Litbangda will lead advocacy to the local leaders; (2) Bappeda & Litbangda will consolidate the local government working units (OPD) to support the advocacy to the local leaders; (3) Bappeda & Litbangda will strengthen the working group for water supply and sanitation (Pokja AMPL); (4) Economic division will lead the establishment of public-private partnership (CSR); (5) the Environment Office will be responsible for quality checking of domestic wastewater and clean water; (6) the Health Office will lead the domestic wastewater and clean water testing at household level; (7) the Public Works and Spatial Planning Office will be in charge for developing domestic wastewater management regulations; (8) the Housing and Settlements Office will include safe toilets construction in its program to rehabilitate uninhabitable houses (RTLH) plus; (9) Village will allocate at least 5-10% of the village fund for water and sanitation development; and (10) Village will be responsible for socializing septic tank construction.
