Indonesian Govt to Improve Water Supply Infrastucture, Irrigation

Jakarta - The Indonesian government will improve the infrastructure and facilities of clean water supply, and repair the irrigation system, National Development Planning Minister Armida Alisjahbana has said. Coordination between the central and regional governments must be intensified for the improvement of clean water supply infrastructure and irrigation system, the minister, who is concurrently the head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), said here Thursday. The country's clean water supply coverage reaches 55 percent currently. "The target of clean water pipe network is 68 percent by 2015, and now it is 55 percent at the average. So there is a gap of 13 percent that we have to cover," she said. A total budget amounting Rp65.27 trillion comprising Rp12 trillion from the government and Rp53.27 trillion from investors, is needed to achieve the target of 68.87 percent in clean water supply coverage. The clean water supply coverage is low because most of the country's clean water supply companies are not in healthy condition financially or currently being restructured as a precondition to be entitled to receive credit. Meanwhile, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said the government will boost the performance of the National Water Resources Council to support the food resilience program. The government has targeted to reach rice production surplus at 10 million by 2014, arid land rehabilitation at 2.5 million hectares, Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in water supply coverage at 68 percent, and hydroelectric renewable energy. The implementation of the four targets will be conducted by concerned ministries with the coordination of Bappenas. More than 100 million people in Indonesia lack access to safe drinking water.(*) (Translated and edited by Fardah and Otniel)