Just like many regions in Indonesia, the Sidoarjo district government is striving to achieve safely managed sanitation.
Although the SSK 2016 of Sidoarjo district estimated that 79.43 percent of around 500,000 HHs in Sidoarjo district have access to improved sanitation, 3.10 percent have access to basic sanitation, and 17.47 percent still practice open defecation. These figures mean a lot of hard work is required to achieve the safely managed sanitation.
In the sanitation ladder, basic sanitation is the first step, followed by improved sanitation on the second stage and safely managed sanitation on top.
As part of the district government’s commitment to achieve safely managed sanitation, the district public works and spatial planning office, with support from USAID IUWASH PLUS, implement regular desludging service (LLTT). Since 2017, the district public works office, USAID IUWASH PLUS, and the relevant OPDs, such as Bappeda and legal bureau, have conducted intensive preparation for the LLTT implementation.
The preparation included regulation drafting, advocacy to the decision makers to establish UPTD PALD to manage the domestic wastewater management, budget and human resources allocation for the UPTD, and building supporting facilities at the existing septage treatment plant.
Within just a year, all that hardwork gradually yielded good results. In November 2018, two regulations were enacted, namely The Regional Regulation No 5 Year 2018 on Domestic Wastewater Management and Wastewater Levy and the Regent Regulation No 36 Year 2018 on the Technical Implementing Unit in the Regional Office and Regional Agency in Sidoarjo District Government. The latter supports the establishment of UPTD PALD in the same month.
In addition, supporting facilities of the septage treatment plant, such as roof for protecting dry sludge, has been built. In addition, the district government also allocated Rp32 billion from the 2019 APBD to support UPTD PALD.
Sidoarjo district government finally launched the LLTT on June 18, 2019. This marked Sidoarjo as the second USAID IUWASH PLUS supported district in East Java to launch the LLTT after Lumajang district. Lumajang district conducted the LLTT soft launching in early 2019.
During the LLTT launching ceremony, Sidoarjo Regent—Saiful Ilah, said “Domestic wastewater management is one of the programs included in the 2016 to 2021 RPJMD. Policies and technology innovations are still required in the future to advance the service.”
The district public works and spatial planning office also used the ceremony to promote the LLTT to the representatives from other OPDs, private sector firms, desludging service operators, universities, and community organizations. As of August 2019, 565 houses have received the LLTT.
In the future, the UPTD PALD will refine all the supporting facilities to be able to serve more people.
Following Lumajang and Sidoarjo, Gresik launched the LLTT on November 5, 2019.