A good sludge management is crucial for large city with high population density like Makassar. Initially, Makassar already had a sludge management service with an “on-call” system where desludging would be performed by demand. This service was managed by the Regional Implementation Unit for Wastewater Treatment (UPTD PAL). Unfortunately, this system did not go smoothly due to the lack of awareness from the community to desludge their septic tanks regularly.
In 2012, USAID Indonesia Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IUWASH) program introduced the scheduled desludging service, also known as Layanan Lumpur Tinja Terjadwal (LLTT) program to UPTD PAL of Makassar to optimize the previous system. IUWASH and UPTD PAL with the Regional Workgroup for Drinking Water and Environmental Health (Pokja AMPL) worked together to socialize this program to the community who highly accepted the presence of this program.
The LLTT program was then tested on BTP Tamalanrea Estate A Block in November 2013. The test was applied to 300 structures as a survey. The results turned out favorable that it was decided the LLTT program can be applied immediately.
Makassar City is the first city in Indonesia to have a Scheduled Desludging Service launched on 8 August 2015. The service managed by the UPTD PAL was made possible through the collaboration of the Makassar City Government and its people who are both committed to make Makassar as the world’s most comfortable city. The Vice Mayor of Makassar, Syamsu Rizal believed that LLTT program is crucial for Makassar. He also believed that a good sanitation will guarantee a better quality of life for the community. Therefore, Daeng Ical, a nickname given to Syamsu Rizal by the people, encouraged the communities in Makassar to participate in the LLTT program. “There will be a Regional Regulation on Wastewater Management where the LLTT program will specifically be regulated. The LLTT program will be mandatory to be implemented by all the people of Makassar,” Daeng Ical explained about the Regulation on Wastewater Management plan.
Now Makassar City people don’t have to worry about overflowing septic tanks anymore. Pujianto, a Tamalanrea resident in Makassar expressed his enthusiastic responses for the LLTT program. Pujianto said that the socialization by the UPTD PAL Team in his neighborhood has changed his view towards sanitation. “Since the first time UPTD PAL socializes about good sanitation, we immediately switched our septic tanks in our homes with the national-standard ones and also registered to this LLTT program,” Pujianto explained. Pujianto admitted that his main motivation to participate in this pilot project is the relatively cheaper cost. “I used to spend Rp300,000 for a desludging service by using private desludging services. Now I just need to pay Rp12,500 per month and I don’t have to worry that my septic tank at home would get overflow,” Pujianto added excitedly.
