To observe the latest condition on the progress of USAID IUWASH PLUS program in North Sumatra, USAID’s OAA and OFM, led by Albert Carrera, and Finance Director, Elizabeth Chambers, conducted a field visit to locations that has potential as activity location in Medan City on May 2, 2017. One of the visited location is Kelurahan Sari Rejo in Medan City. This visit provided USAID staff with a good idea of the challenges that will be encountered in increasing access to improved water service quality and safely managed sanitation facilities in this area which is largely inhabited by poor and vulnerable families.
In Kelurahan Sari Rejo, not all families have a connection from the local water utility (PDAM) as the connection cost is out of their economic reach. As such, many rely on expensive water sold by local vendors or have small wells installed with pumps. As for sanitation, only few families have proper toilets. Rather, many defecate in the open or use toilets that drain wastewater into open channels or into the ground through what are referred to as “cubluks” (essentially, “soakpits” which allow wastewater to seep into the ground, as opposed to “septic tanks” which fully contain the waste). Not only does this expose them directly to sanitation-borne disease, but also it can contaminate the groundwater.
During the visit in Kelurahan Sari Rejo, USAID representative also had the opportunity to observe the community conditions in general and to discuss with community members. One such member, Ibu Zaidah, shared that the lack of access to proper water and sanitation that affected her daughter’s health. “Kayla, 5 years old had been hospitalized twice because of diarrhea. Until now, the cause of her diarrhea is not known, but most likely it is because the water in the well is murky and we still use cubluk-style latrines.”
To increase access to water and sanitation in Kelurahan Sari Rejo, USAID IUWASH PLUS will work with the government of Medan City to implement several activities, including infrastructure improvements, programs to improve the affordability of water and sanitation services, such as through micro-finance, and importantly, a range of activities to promote hygiene behavior change, such as for handwashing with soap.
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