Page 30 - AW MayJune 19

SPECIAL FEATURE

Improving service levels for the poor in

Indonesia

A new World Bank report titled “Improving service levels and impact on the poor” gives a diagnostic of water supply, sanitation,
hygiene, and poverty in Indonesia. Here is an excerpt.

espite recent gains, many millions of Indonesians and poor child health and stunting. The poor in urban
still go without improved water and sanitation. Indonesia are not only less likely to have adequate
DIn Indonesia, 87% of the population has access sanitation, but are more likely to live in areas where their
to improved drinking water and 61% has access to neighbors also lack these services. Failure to address
improved sanitation, a 39 and 36 percentage point the sanitation conditions of urban dwellers, especially
increase, respectively, since 1990. Although these gains those living in informal settlements, could exacerbate
are commendable, there are still close to 100 million inequalities, and is among the greatest threats to the
people without improved sanitation and 33 million inclusive growth and sustainability of Indonesian cities.
without improved drinking water, according to the WHO- The water and sanitation sector in Indonesia is at a
UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply pivotal juncture in the post-2015 SDG era, where success
and Sanitation (WHO and UNICEF 2015). These summary will be defined by service quality, sustainability, and
figures hide the persistent divides between urban and equitable distribution of services. The GoI’s own ambitious
rural populations and among different income levels in target of achieving universal access to water supply and
access to services, and they mask underlying gaps in sanitation by 2019 is 11 years ahead of the SDG target.
quality faced by all households, regardless of income or The challenge to achieving these targets, and achieving
geographic location. them on schedule, is compounded by the trend of rising
Growing incomes are helping to both reduce poverty income inequality and rapid urbanization in Indonesia.
and increase access to proper water and sanitation, but In contrast to the SDGs, the 2019 universal access target
gaps in access between the poor and rich remain, and has no clearly stated poor-inclusive mission guiding it,
in some cases are widening. despite evidence that the poor are less likely to have
Factors other than poverty also significantly affect access to higher quality water and sanitation services,
access to drinking water and sanitation, particularly and are more likely to suffer the negative consequences
geographic location. Urban dwellers in the lower income of this lack of access, such as poor health and nutrition.
quintiles are more likely to use improved toilets and drink The objective of this report is to provide an empirical
clean water than rural dwellers in the upper income basis for more inclusive and equitable service delivery in
quintiles. There is also variation at the local government the water and sanitation sector in Indonesia. Although the
(LG) level. District poverty rates do not neatly correspond GoI has established a program and strategy for achieving
with either levels of access or equity of access to improved universal access to water supply and sanitation and zero
sanitation; some poor districts are doing a better job than slums, these targets will be achieved through different
wealthier districts, and a far better job than some of their service level sub-targets. For water supply, the target is
poorer peers. for 40 percent of the population to have access to piped
However, it is the persistent gaps in service quality— water and 60 percent to non-piped (in urban areas, 60
rather than barriers to access—that are the main percent piped and 40 percent non-piped), whereas
challenge facing Indonesia at the outset of the for sanitation, universal access is defined as 15 percent
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) period. Although of the population having access to basic sanitation (a
most households are gaining access to drinking water toilet that ensures hygienic separation of human excreta
and sanitation due to rapid urbanization and increasing from human contact), 12.5 percent to centralized and
living standards, not everyone is benefitting from the same decentralized sewerage systems, and 72.5 percent to on-
quality of service. site sanitation with improved fecal waste management.
Progressive approaches to urban sanitation have led A poor-inclusive approach to universal access—one that
to millions of Indonesians gaining access to improved improves the ability of and opportunity for the poor and
services over the past decade. Despite these gains, vulnerable to benefit from water and sanitation services—
an estimated 95 percent of fecal waste still makes its can help to ensure that Indonesia not only achieves
way into the nearby environment due to poor quality its service delivery targets, but that water supply and
on-site septic tanks, lack of adequate emptying and sanitation become key drivers of a reduction in inequality,
disposal, or dysfunctional wastewater treatment. These enhanced health and well-being, and economic growth
conditions elevate the cost of water treatment, and lead and prosperity. Policy recommendations are prioritized
to environmental degradation, greater risk of disease, based on their expected impact on these development

28 MAY/JUNE 2019 Asian Water