USAID IUWASH PLUS E-Newsletter 11th Edition March 2020

Editorial

Welcome to USAID IUWASH PLUS 11th edition E-Newsletter, March 2020.

In early 2020, massive floods hit Jakarta and some other cities in Indonesia. At the sametime, our brothers and sisters in Timor Tengah Selatan district in East Nusatenggara were suffering from extreme drought due to very little rainfall.

Not only in Indonesia, extreme high temperature and prolonged draught caused massive bushfire across Australia. These are only few examples of climate change impacts. Unfortunately, these kind of incidences increasingly occur in many more places globally.

Not only to bring fatality and to cause economic loss, has the climate change also impacted on the quality and quantity of water supply. The low income community and disadvantaged groups, who are already the most vulnerable to any threats to water supply, are likely to be worst affected.

The 2020 World Water Day, which falls on March 22, brought the theme of ‘Water and Climate Change’. It explores the inextricable link between the two. Protecting the existing water sources may help mitigate and reverse the climate change impacts.

Celebrating the 2020 World Water Day, we present you inspirational stories on the initiatives carried out by government, water utilities, university, and community to protect water sources without leaving behind the vulnerable groups. In addition, we also present stories on alternative financing for helping low income community access safely managed sanitation.

Here are the stories:
• The 2020 World Water Day Celebration: Learning Groundwater Recharge from Salatiga
• Safe Water Access for the Poor: How Can a Community Group Help?
• Siti Cholipah, The ‘SPAM Komunal’ Caretaker: The Hero Among Us
• Through Standard Operating Procedures, PDAM Kabupaten Maluku Tengah Will Maximize Its Services
• Arisan: An Alternative Financing Scheme for Septic Tank Construction
• Thanks to the Village Fund, 50 Low Income Households in Bedian Hamlet Have Healthy Toilets