Domestic wastewater management is one of the basic services that provincial and districts/cities governments should provide to all citizens as it is mandated by Law No 23/2014 on the Regional Government. This means the heads of regions play a critical role to lead the service delivery.
Understanding this important role, the incumbent Deli Serdang Regent, Ashari Tambunan, fully supports the domestic wastewater management, which also includes regular desludging service (LLTT).
In the past few years, the Regent has learned from various organizations such as MPWH, USAID IUWASH PLUS and other development partners about the significance of domestic wastewater management for protecting the community from consuming water contaminated with domestic wastewater management.
Since 2017, Deli Serdang district has received technical assistance from USAID IUWASH PLUS to advance its domestic wastewater management. Significant support has been conducted since then, particularly those related to the development of UPTD PALD, the Regent Regulation No 18 Year 2019 on Desludging Service, the Regional Regulation No 4 Year 2018 on General Levy, and establishing and training for the care-taker groups of communal IPALs and SPALDT that the government built.
To further capitalize his support, the Deli Serdang Regent officially launched the LLTT as part of domestic wastewater management, on August 31, 2019 in a ceremony where the US Consulate General, Nathan Austin and USAID IUWASH PLUS COR, Trigeanny Linggoatmodjo, were also in attendance were also in attendance.
In addition, the Regent also issued a circular letter to all civil servants in Deli Serdang to become LLTT customers. The Deli Serdang district government aims to deliver the LLTT to 424 houses that have been included in the customer database system.
“With UPTD PALD and domestic wastewater management, the contamination of domestic wastewater in water sources could be prevented. I hope this will contribute to making Deli Serdang a habitable, productive, and sustainable city. I also hope Deli Serdang could inspire other regions to implement safely managed sanitation,” said the Regent, Ashari Tambunan.
With the enormous support from the Regent, the staff of UPTD PALD, puskesmas, sanitarians, and cadres promote the LLTT program to the community. In response, a group of 50 women in Dusun 11 and 12 in Pematang Johar village initiated an arisan scheme, a kind of rotating savings where the members take turns to win the savings.
Through this arisan, the women collect Rp10 thousand per person per week, and withdraw it every week to pay for the LLTT—which could reach Rp300,000 per service. On September 2, 2019, the first member of the group received the service. This arisan model is now followed by other community groups in different villages.
To support the LLTT, Deli Serdang government plans to build a new IPLT with capacity 50m3/day using the 2020 APBN to replace the existing IPLT.
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