On July 5, 2017, the City Government of Medan held a groundbreaking ceremony of WASH facility in USAID IUWASH PLUS hotspot location in the hamlet of (Kelurahan) Kedai Durian, Medan City. The formal groundbreaking was conducted by the U.S. Ambassador Mr. Joseph R. Donovan, the Mayor of Medan Mr.
Dzulmi Eldin and the acting Regional Secretary of North Sumatra Government (representing the Governor of North Sumatra) Mr. Ibnu Sri Utomo. This event is part of the Medan City Government’s efforts for WASH and slums upgrading program to support the GOI’s established target for universal coverage for water and sanitation and elimination of slum areas, also known as the “100-0-100” target. The infrastructure will be funded by the Local Government of Medan City, then the PDAM Tirtanadi owned by North Sumatra Province will supply clean water, manage sewerage and plan the regular desludging service (L2T2), while the technical assistance and community awareness will be supported by USAID IUWASH PLUS.
During this event, a partnership agreement between Medan City and USAID IUWASH PLUS was signed by the Mayor of Medan and USAID IUWASH PLUS Chief of Party. Appreciating the efforts of both provincial and city governments in improving the WASH sector, the U.S. Ambassador conveyed that clean water is essential to good health and daily life, and the United States is proud to partner with the Government of Indonesia to work toward universal access to clean water and improved sanitation by 2019. In his remarks, the Mayor of Medan stated that the City Government of Medan seeks to accelerate the completion of SPAM Mebidang (Water Supply System for Medan, Binjai and Deli Serdang) as an alternative to meet the community needs for water supply in Medan City. In addition, the Mayor of Medan also stated the quality improvement of the environment and people should be more directed, focused and targeted not only in terms of the infrastructure alone, but also the change of behavior, so that the investments can be useful and efficient in improving the health of the people and the environment. The ceremony was attended by around 200 people, including the Mayor of Medan, Acting Regional Secretary of North Sumatra, local government officials, local/hamlet leaders, community, and journalists.
