USAID IUWASH PLUS supported Taman Agung and Pucung Rejo village governments in Magelang district, Central Java to conduct a training on latrine and septic tank construction as part of the Onsite Domestic Wastewater Management System (SPALDS) on September 12–13, 2018.
The training was attended by around 19 participants comprised of community members, KSM (community-based organization) caretakers, and the local government staff from Taman Agung and Pucung Rejo villages. The training aimed to provide the participants with hands-on skills and experiences on building latrine and septic tank that complies with the Indonesian National Standard (SNI), as well as to convince the participants that these sanitation facilities are easy to build and affordable.
After learning about the SNI requirements for the toilet and septic tank as well as the construction mechanism, the participants were divided into two groups for practices on building a latrine in Taman Agung village and a communal/shared septic tank connected to three houses in Pucung Rejo village.
After the training, the participants from Taman Agung village helped a community member in that village, named Marsudi, to build a self-funded latrine and septic tank which costs about Rp2 million in his house. The participants also assisted another villager, named Dulrohmat, to build a latrine.
Community leaders of Taman Agung and Pucung Rejo villages appreciated the training and look forward to working with the village governments build sanitation facilities for community members. “I highly appreciate the training. It motivates community members to improve their sanitation access. I hope the village government will assist the community members to build sanitation facilities,” said Budi Prayitno, the Chief of RT 3, in Nglawisan Hamlet, Taman Agung village.
To realize his expectation, Budi plans to build latrines for 64 households in RT 3 using jimpitan funds (community financial contribution collected every month and the contribution amount was agreed among the community members). Similarly, Pucung Rejo village government plans to build more septic tanks as part of the SPALDS using the 2018 village fund amounting to Rp50 million.
