On November 17, 2021, the regional public service agencies for domestic wastewater management (BLUD PALD) of Makassar and Bekasi cities were launched.
The launching took place in a national workshop organized by USAID IUWASH PLUS in person in Makassar city and online, and it was also broadcasted on @Airsanitasi YouTube channel.
Present in person in the event were representatives of USAID, national and local governments, among others are the Environment Officer of USAID Indonesia, Mr. Hung Vo; the Regional Secretary of Makassar City, Mr. Muhammad Ansar; and the Direktor of Housing and Settlement of the Bappenas, Ms. Tri Dewi Virgiyanti.
In addition, the Director General of Human Settlement of Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Ms. Diana Kusumastuti; the Secretary to the Director General of Regional Finance of Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Komaidi, and representatives of domestic wastewater management operators across the nation participated online.
Since March 2021, USAID IUWASH PLUS has supported the local government working units for domestic wastewater management (UPTD PALD) in Makassar and Bekasi cities to transform into BLUD (Baden Layanan Umum Daerah) to allow domestic wastewater management operators to manage their budget and at the same time maintain support from the local government budget.
By transforming into a BLUD, the domestic wastewater management operators will be able to expand their services and contribute to the achievement of safely managed sanitation target. Moreover, the BLUD PALD of Makassar and Bekasi cities are expected to be able to manage city wide sewerage in the upcoming two to three years.
The Director General of Human Settlement, Ms. Diana Kusumastuti, explained that the organization transformation from UPTD into BLUD shows local government’s strong commitment to continuously provide and improve domestic wastewater service quality.
In this workshop, the Head of BLUD Sub-Directorate of Ministry of Home Affairs, the Head of BLUD PALD of Bekasi city, and the Head of BLUD Intan Hijau, Mr. Boyke W. Triesyanto, shared lessons learned from the process of the BLUD formation. The BLUD can be an option for a viable domestic wastewater management organization model and becoming a BLUD does not necessarily means losing financial support from the local government budget.
