At least 40 people in Sidoharjo village in Sidoharjo sub-district in Sragen district map water and sanitation access in their neighborhood. This mapping activity is a part of the safely managed drinking water and sanitation campaign, and hygiene practices in the village, which was held with support from USAID IUWASH Tangguh program.
The Social Behavior Change-GESI Specialist of USAID IUWASH Tangguh Central Java Regional Office, Edy Triyanto, explained the importance of hygiene practices and having safely managed drinking water and sanitation access.
Poor hygiene practices will deteriorate quality health and could lead to increased stunting rate. “Why there are children eating a lot of nutritious food, but they are stunted? The reason is that they cannot absorb the nutrition optimally because they consume unsafe water and use poor sanitation,” said Edy during a Workshop on the Community Programs for Hygiene Behavior Changes and Safely Managed Drinking Water and Sanitation Improvement held in Sidoharjo village hall, Sragen district on Thursday (January 12th, 2023).
On the same occasion, Edy encouraged the community members to map drinking water and sanitation access in their neighborhood. The people were asked to list families in their neighborhood and document their water sources, toilets, and fecal containment.
The Head of Sidoharjo sub-district, Agus Tri Pranoto, said that his area has abundance of water because it is an agricultural center. However, some people said that the water is chalky and unsafe for consumption.
“The water is only used for bathing and laundry. People buy drinking water from water tanks coming from Karanganyar district,” Agus said. He hopes that USAID IUWASH Tangguh program could improve people’s drinking water and sanitation access.
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