New methods bring clean water to slums

Source: The Jakarta Post


English Translation

City News - July 05, 2007


Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An empty paint bucket, a plastic bottle and abundant sun.

For most Jakartans, they would seem to be worthless. But, for Ipah, a mother of six living under the city's flyover in Teluk Gong, West Jakarta, these things make clean water and sanitation less of a luxury.

"It has been months since my toddlers had diarrhea," Ipah said as her children played around a stack of trash in front of her concrete shaded home.

The neighborhood Ipah and dozens other families live in makes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, but the risk has been minimized since they came upon simple and affordable methods to treat water.

"We have been using Air RahMat for several months now. It's simple and cheap," said Encum, a neighbor.

Using their usual source of water from the local public tap plus a few drops of liquid sodium hypochlorite Air RahMat, residents of Teluk Gong no longer have to spend money on buying kerosene to boil drinking water.

And the chemical that costs them Rp 4,000 (around US 50 cents) frees their children from diarrhea.

"But it does have a weird taste," said another housewife when a field officer from non-governmental organization Emmanuel Foundation visited the area.

The foundation has been introducing cheap ways to treat water to several slum communities in Jakarta. The use of liquid sodium hypochlorite is only one among many implemented in different settlement areas.

"People living in substandard settlements see water differently from us. For them, as long as there is water, no matter what the quality is, it's OK," Emmanuel public health engineer Arum Wulandari said.

Statistics show that almost 80 percent of Indonesians use water sources that are likely to be contaminated with bacteria. Due to bad sanitation, some 100,000 toddlers in Indonesia die of diarrhea every year.

People living in slum areas are the most prone to the disease as they have no connection to tap water services and have little money to spend on clean bottled water.

Aside from introducing Air RahMat, Arum brought with her a ceramic filter system that works as efficiently as the liquid sodium hypochlorite but costs a little more.

Inside a makeshift home, just a five-minute walk from Ipah's house, a family uses a device that looks like a regular drinking water dispenser.

Unlike commonly found dispensers, this one was made of two stacked plastic containers in which a small brown ceramic tube is installed.

Water drips slowly from the tube to the lower container where Burhan and his family get their water.

"People say our water is refreshing. This system has worked for us for two years now," Burhan said.

The family's first ceramic filter had got broken when they were evicted several months ago, and a second one burned down along with their home under the flyover.

But, Burhan insisted on buying another one as the filter produced in Plered, West Java, helped the family a lot.

"The filter requires a higher upfront investment, but once you have it, you need not spend any money to make sure that you are drinking clean water," Arum explained.

"The ceramic is made with pores small enough to trap micro-organisms," she said.

Burhan's family paid for the filter in Rp 50,000 monthly installments, much less than the Rp 60,000 they were spending for kerosene to boil their water.

In three months, they won't have to anything for clean water.

An hour drive away from Teluk Gong, residents of Tanjung Priok simply rely on clean plastic bottles and sun rays to treat their drinking water.

"The method is unpopular in Teluk Gong as they live under the flyover, an area where sun rays can't penetrate," Arum said.

But, in coastal Tanjung Priok, residents who are mostly scavengers gladly pour the previously unsafe water into used plastic bottles and expose them to the sun for six hours.

And, voila, the water is safe to drink as the ultraviolet rays have disinfected it and no more boiling is needed.

"We cannot provide access to water for slum dwellers through conventional ways like connecting them to the city water service or building them a well," Emmanuel's program officer Mindy Weimer said.

Living in a city that sees slum dwellers as an eyesore, residents of areas like Teluk Gong are faced with the constant threat of eviction.

Under such conditions, drops of sodium hypochlorite, plastic bottles and sun rays and ceramic filters made available at affordable price work better than empty promises of clean water from the authorities.

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West Java signs 11 MOUs on infrastructure development

Source: The Jakarta Post

Business and Investment - August 20, 2005

Zakki P. Hakim and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post/Bandung

The West Java administration has signed 11 memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Friday with foreign and domestic investors aimed at developing infrastructure in the province.

The MOUs, signed at the closing of the West Java Infrastructure Summit, formalized a number of public-private partnerships to develop infrastructure in areas such as electricity, water supply and waste treatment as well as non-infrastructure projects such as a bonded industrial zone and sugar cane plantations.

"The MOUs concern a very limited number of projects offered at the event. We expect participating investors at the event to see which projects in West Java need capital," West Java governor Danny Setiawan said.

A total of 174 foreign and domestic investors attended the event that offered 57 infrastructure projects worth Rp 35 trillion (US$3.5 billion). The event was part of the administration's effort to boost the province's economic growth from the current 5 percent to 8 percent in the next five years.

Danny said West Java needs Rp 50 trillion annually to develop up to 200 infrastructure projects but the administration had only prioritized 57 for the summit.

The event was jointly organized by the province's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadinda), consulting firm PA Asia Ltd. and supported by the Asian Development Bank.

Among the signatories were PT Gunung Semesta Raya, a subsidiary of Artha Graha Network, and Chinese investors who wish to build a 1,000-hectare bonded industrial zone in Karawang worth $70 million, Kadinda chairman Iwan Dermawan said.

The Artha Graha Group would be the developer of the so-called China Industrial Estate project, which would need site preparation and work on access roads, electricity, telecommunications, water and waste treatment networks, construction information provider firm PT BCI Asia said in its website www.bciasia.com.

Iwan said the Artha Graha Network, through PT First Mujur Plana & Industri, also signed an MOU to develop a Rp 1 trillion sugar cane plantation.

Other MOUs signed were for cooperation with Singapore-based United Engineers Pte. Ltd. for tap water supply and Keppel Corp. Ltd. for waste and water treatment; and Hong Kong-based Golden Concord Holding Ltd., Malaysia-based Geo Fusion Sdn Bhd, South Korean Kiikforum Inc. and Sam-an Engineering Consultants Co. Ltd. for developing power plants.

Local signatories included PT Medco Duta for developing geothermal power plants and PT Dirgantara Yudha Artha for developing the Pasirkoja-Soreang toll road and for waste treatment plants.

"To make the MOUs come about, we have to create a conducive climate by ensuring legal certainty, simplifying procedures and getting the commitment of provincial, regency and mayoralty administrations," Iwan said.

Juan Casla, economic cooperation program manager of the delegation of the European Commission to Indonesia, expected provincial administrations to have a better chance for successful reform, given that today provinces had more autonomy under the decentralization drive.

"Everything that can be done locally has a better chance for success," he told The Jakarta Post, adding that the chance was better for West Java as the administration had initiated a "legal security working group".

The group -- involving a number of prominent law firms -- recommended that the administration establish a special court chamber for investment cases in Bandung, and educate selected top judges in economic and industrial development, particularly the role of infrastructure in developing countries.

Other recommendations included giving advice to national authorities on tax division issues; a more integrated approach to investment-related licenses and applications, the introduction of competition for management of public services, and the introduction of the use of the "landlord" model in project developments to avoid undue political and civil service interference.

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Kejaksaan Membentuk Tim Usut Penyimpangan di PDAM (Attorney General's office investigated deviation in PDAM)

Source: Pikiran Rakyat




Masyarakat Heran, Dana Penyertaan Dialihkan pada Penjualan Air

CIAMIS, (PR).-
Kepala Kejaksaan Negeri (Kajari) Ciamis, Ariffin Bachroedin mengatakan, kejaksaan telah membentuk tim khusus untuk melakukan pengusutan dana penyertaan modal dari Pemkab Ciamis, Rp 912 juta ke badan usaha milik daerah (BUMD) dan Bank Jabar Ciamis. Penyertaan modal itu dinilai banyak keganjilan, terutama berkaitan dengan penyertaan modal ke PDAM Ciamis.

"Rencananya tim mulai Rabu (10/8) akan memeriksa jajaran direksi PDAM Ciamis maupun pimpinan dari Bank Jabar sebagai penerima dana penyertaan modal," kata Kajari Ariffin kepada pers, Senin (8/8), di Ciamis.

English Translation

Surprised community, the Participation Fund was shifted in the Water Sale

Ciamis, (PR).-
The Head of the Country Attorney General's Office (Kajari) Ciamis, Ariffin Bachroedin said, the attorney general's office formed the special team to do investigation of the fund of capital participation from Pemkab Ciamis, Rp 912 million to the company belonging to the area (BUMD) and the Bank West Javanese Ciamis. The capital participation was assessed by many peculiarities, especially being linked with capital participation to PDAM Ciamis.

"His plan the team from Wednesday (10/8) will check the management's rank PDAM Ciamis and the management from the West Javanese Bank as the recipient of the fund of capital participation," said Kajari Ariffin to the press, on Monday (8/8), in Ciamis.

Sebelumnya Ketua Dewan Ciamis Jeje Wiradinata dan DPD Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) Ciamis juga mengemukakan, soal dugaan hilangnya penyertaan modal ke PDAM Ciamis sebesar Rp 400 juta. Hal itu diketahui berdasarkan neraca keuangan Pemkab Ciamis di mana disebutkan pemkab telah menyertakan modal sebesar Rp 500 juta kepada PDAM TA 2004. Sementara laporan keuangan PDAM TA 2004, realisasi penerimaan penyertaan modal dari pemkab hanya Rp 100 juta. ("PR"--7/8),

Menurut Kajari Ciamis, masalah kejanggalan penyertaan modal tidak hanya terjadi di PDAM. Namun, ia melihat untuk penyertaan ke Bank Jabar Rp 337 juta terlihat janggal. Satu sisi dananya berasal dari APBD, namun dalam halaman lain dilaporkan sumber dana dari deviden Bank Jabar.

Kejaksaan melihat bahwa pembuat laporan keuangan 2004 Pemkab Ciamis masih banyak kekurangan, sehingga antara laporan satu dengan lainnya bertentangan. "Hal yang jelas kejaksaan akan mengusut kasus penyertaan modal sebesar Rp 912 juta ini," tegasnya.

Sementara, Dirut PDAM Ciamis, Dikdik Sidik didampingi Direktur Umum Ade, dalam keterangan kepada pers mengatakan dana penyertaan modal dari pemkab sebesar Rp 500 juta telah masuk ke PDAM. Hanya saja dana itu, memang tidak dimasukkan dalam pos penyertaan modal, melainkan di masukkan dalam pendapatan dari hasil penjualan air.

Dana itu turun pada bulan Maret 2004 sebesar Rp 400 juta dan bulan Desembernya Rp 100 juta. Semua dana itu dimasukkan dalam pos penjualan air minum, bukan ke penyertaan modal. "Masalah ini sudah kita konsultasikan ke BPKP Jabar. Pihak BPKP bilang bisa menerima," tambahnya.

Agar tampil baik

Maksud dana penyertaan modal dimasukkan dalam pemasukan penjualan air, kata Ade, agar penampilan keuangan PDAM bagus. Dengan demikian, angka kerugian tidak terlalu besar. "Dana penyertaan modal itu tidak menguap, semua bukti penerimaan maupun pengeluaran tercatat. Hanya, memang dimasukkan dalam pos penjualan air," kata Dikdik didampingi Kabag Humas H. Wasdi.

Mereka siap untuk mempertanggungjawabkan masalah ini, karena tujuannya untuk performance perusahaan ini lebih baik. Dana Rp 400 juta sendiri digunakan untuk pembuatan detail engineering design Rp 147 juta, pembelian kantor di Sidangkasih Rp 140 juta, perbaikan instalasi Rp 141 juta, dan pembuatan instalasi pengelolaan air Rp 81 juta.

Elemen masyarakat Ciamis, Heri Dermawan (Ketua DPD PAN), Nanang Permana (LSM LPMP), Didi Ruswendi (LSM Bina Pandu Mandiri), mendukung langkah kejaksaan membentuk tim untuk mengusut ketidakjelasan dana penyertaan modal, termasuk ke PDAM. Dengan demikian, nantinya ada kejelasan duduk permasalahan tersebut.

"Masalah itu jangan sampai simpang siur, tidak karuan. Masyarakat awam juga heran kalau dana penyertaan modal dimasukkan dalam penjualan air. Cara itu hanya menutup kerugian PDAM yang besar," kata Didi Ruswendi.

Heri Dermawan melihat bahwa pola pejabat di Ciamis, termasuk jajaran direksi BUMD, masih menggunakan pola asal bapak senang. Selain itu, terlihat kekompakan di antara mereka semakin jauh. Termasuk, dalam proses penyusunan pertanggungjawaban untuk keuangan 2004 ke dewan, terlihat kurangnya koordinasi di antara mereka. Sehingga antara laporan satu dengan yang lainnya bertentangan.

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Penyertaan Modal Pemkab di PDAM Diduga ”Menguap”

Source: Pikiran Rakyat


English Translation




Ditempatkan pada Pos Pendapatan Penjualan Air Minum
CIAMIS, (PR).-
Ketua DPRD Kab. Ciamis Jeje Wiradinata mengatakan, dewan akan mempertanyakan persoalan dugaan hilangnya, dana penyertaan modal sebesar Rp 400 juta, ke Badan Usaha Milik Daerah (BUMD) Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum (PDAM) Kab. Ciamis, tahun anggaran (TA) 2004. Masalah itu, kata Jeje, harus diusut sehingga ada kejelasan ke mana larinya dana penyertaan modal itu.

"Penambahan modal sebesar Rp 500 juta dari pemkab pada 2004, bertujuan agar PDAM bisa lebih sehat. Jika sekarang dalam neraca PDAM bahwa penambahan modal hanya Rp 100 juta. Hal itu, menunjukkan ada masalah yang harus diselesaikan," kata Jeje, Minggu (7/8) kepada "PR", di Ciamis.

Jeje mengemukakan hal itu, sehubungan informasi dari DPD Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) Ciamis, yang menduga adanya indikasi penyimpangan Rp 400 juta di PDAM Ciamis. Hal itu diketahui, berdasarkan neraca keuangan Pemkab Ciamis, untuk penyertaan modal, Rp 500 juta yang direalisasikan TA 2004.

"Sementara, pada laporan keuangan PDAM TA 2004, realisasi penerimaan penyertaan modal dari pemkab hanya Rp 100 juta," kata Ir. Suhdi Ade Candra, Pelaksana Harian DPD PKS Kab. Ciamis, didampingi anggota dewan Didi Sukardi, kepada pers, Jumat (5/8).

Suhdi dan Didi Sukardi, dalam kesempatan itu mengemukakan, pada Rabu lalu, Bupati Ciamis Engkon Komara, telah menyampaikan laporan keterangan pertanggungjawaban bupati tahun 2004, tentang laporan keuangan. Dalam laporan itu, penyertaan modal 2004 Rp 912 juta.

Penyertaan modal itu, antara lain untuk PDAM sebesar Rp 500 juta. Namun, dalam laporan keuangan PDAM Ciamis, yang ada di dalam lampiran laporan pertanggungjawaban bupati tentang laporan keuangan, ternyata lain.

Penjualan air minum

Bukan hanya itu, lanjut Didi Sukardi, dalam penyertaan modal ke Bank Jabar, dikatakan dari APBD 2004. Namun, dalam lampiran 6/3-4 di laporan pertanggungjawaban bupati bahwa sumber dana penyertaan modal, bukan dari APBD melainkan dari deviden yang diterima.

Menurut Jeje, saat ini di dewan akan dibahas masalah perhitungan anggaran 2004. Dengan sendirinya, masalah PDAM jadi bagian masalah yang akan ditelusuri oleh legislatif. "Masalah itu, tidak bisa dibiarkan," tambahnya.

Sementara itu Direktur Utama PDAM Ciamis Dikdik Sidik, dalam penjelasannya mengatakan pada tahun 2004 memang penyertaan modal hanya Rp 100 juta. Uang itu, turun 29 Desember 2004. "Seingat saya, memang realisasi penyertaan modal ke PDAM hanya Rp 100 juta. Tidak ada lagi penyertaan modal lainnya. Lalu tahun 2005 ini, juga belum ada," katanya.

Direktur Umum PDAM Ade semula juga menguatkan keterangan Dirut PDAM Dikdik Sidik. Tapi, selang beberapa menit, kembali memberikan keterangan bahwa penyertaan modal pada waktu 2004 tidak hanya Rp 100 juta. "Setelah saya cek kembali ke kas penerimaan, ternyata memang penyertaan modal tidak hanya Rp 100 juta. Tapi dalam neraca PDAM tidak dimasukkan dalam penyertaan modal melainkan dimasukkan pada pos pendapatan penjualan air minum," katanya.

Ketika ditanya kenapa dana penyertaan modal dimasukkan dalam penerimaan penjualan air bukan di pos penyertaan modal, dijawab Ade, hal itu hanya masalah akuntasi saja. Dengan harapan, angka kerugian PDAM pada 2004, tercatat tidak terlalu besar. "Jadi uangnya ada," katanya. (A-97)

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Sutiyoso defends water charge increase

Source: The Jakarta Post

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration has played down criticism over the recent tap-water rate increase, arguing the decision was fair to both poor and wealthy customers.

"You judge yourselves whether it is fair or not to allow richer customers to bear the higher rate of up to Rp 12,000 per cubic meter of tap water, compared to the meager rate of Rp 900 for the poor, which is lower than similar rates applied in other cities nationwide," Governor Sutiyoso said on Friday.

The administration announced last week an increase in tap water tariffs, ranging from 5 percent to 63 percent, starting July 1.

The tap water fee for "modest" homes, as well as for social and religious foundations, like orphanages, mosques and churches, has increased by 63 percent, from Rp 550 to Rp 900, while for bigger houses, the fee has been raised by 8 percent to 11 percent, from Rp 5,100 and Rp 7,500 to Rp 5,700 and Rp 6,800 -- depending on water consumption.

A 6 percent increase, from Rp 9,750 to Ro 10,400 has been imposed on industrial and commercial enterprises, like hotels and restaurants. Customers classified as "special zone", including the Tanjung Priok port, are facing a 5 percent increase, to Rp 12,150 from Rp 11,500.

Sutiyoso said the rate paid by high-end customers had been too steep, so a slight increase for them had been decided upon.

"Since the tap water rates paid by the poor are cheaper than those paid by other poor residents in other cities across the country, like Semarang and Banjarmasin, we decide on a higher increase. I am sure they (Jakartans in the low-income bracket) will be able to afford the increase," he said.

The rate for low-income households and social and religious foundations in Semarang hovers at Rp 1,347, while in Banjarmasin in East Kalimantan it stands at Rp 948.

City Council speaker Ade Surapriatna said the council had rejected the increase as it burdened people in the low-income bracket.

"We are also opposed to the increase as the administration did not consult the council over the plan," he said.

He said the council had formed a team to study the tap water business in the city. The council is also seeking, through the team, to modify legislation issued by former speaker Agung Imam Sumanto -- whose term was from 1999 to 2004 -- that allows the administration to raise tap water rates every six months until 2007.

The latest increase is the second in a series of 10 planned raises, which were conceived as part of efforts to pay off city-owned tap water operator PAM Jaya's debts.

On Jan. 20, the administration covertly increased tap water rates by between 4 and 16 percent.

The company owes around Rp 600 billion to its two foreign partners, British PT Thames PAM Jaya and French PT PAM Lyonaisse Jaya, and Rp 1.6 trillion to the Ministry of Finance.

Palyja, a subsidiary of France's ONDEO (formerly Lyonaisse des Eaux) serves customers in the western part of Jakarta, while TPJ, a subsidiary of Britain's Thames Water International, supplies tap water to customers in the eastern part of Jakarta.

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Poor people pay more for water

Source: The Jakarta Post

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Lacking access to clean water in his neighborhood in Rawabuaya subdistrict, West Jakarta, Sunyoto, 45, has to spend up to 10 percent of his monthly income just to buy water from street vendors.

Like most of his neighbors, he buys a 20-liter jerry can of clean water from the vendor every day, which costs him Rp 1,000. The family use the water only for drinking and cooking.

"We have a well in our rented house, but the color of the water is yellowish. Although the water ruins our clothes, we have no choice but to use it for washing. Otherwise, most of our spending would be for water," the father of two said.

His monthly income is about Rp 500,000 (US$51.30), of which Rp 150,000 must be used for house rent. Luckily, both of his children are still under five and don't have to go to school.

The water vendors sell piped water supplied by PT Pam Lyonaisse Jaya (Palyja), the foreign partner of city owned water operator PT Pam Jaya which serves western part of the city.

Although the street vendors had yet to raise their price following the water tariff increase in early July, Sunyoto said he has no other choice but to spend more for water.

"Clean water is vital for my family," he said.

Currently, water supplied by PT Palyja and PT Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ), another foreign water operator serving the eastern part of the city, could only cover around 50 percent of clean water demands in the city.

Despite the poor service, water tariffs will keep on increasing every six months from 2005 until 2007, as part of efforts to pay off Pam Jaya's debts to the foreign partners.

The latest increase, effective on July 1, ranges from 5 percent for industrial, commercial premises and high-income area houses, up to 63 percent for low-income areas.

Previously, poor customers paid Rp 550 per cubic meter of water (one cubic meter is equal to 1,000 liters). Now they have to pay Rp 900 per cubic meter.

Although the hike led to public protests for putting heavier burdens on the poor, what they have to pay was still much cheaper than what Sunyoto's has to spend on water.

Sunyoto's neighbor Karno, 50, said he could get the same amount of clean water cheaper because he had the time and a cart to carry water cans home.

"The water operator sells water for only Rp 500 per 20 liters," he said.

Meanwhile, Mahdi, 50, a resident of Semanan subdistrict, also in West Jakarta, said that his family used underground water for all necessities. According to him, the water is of better quality compared to the underground water of his neighbors.

He feels safe consuming underground water although according to data from the City Health Agency, 90 percent of underground water in the city is contaminated by E. coli bacteria, a common cause of diarrheal diseases.

"Of course the water must be boiled before we drink it. It's much better than the pricey tap water which has been mixed with chemical substances," he added.

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Dark Waters

Source: The Jakarta Post




DARK WATERS: A scavenger rows his small boat across the blackish Grogol River in West Jakarta, collecting plastic bottles and other floating garbage worth selling. The city administration recruits scavengers for its river-cleaning program. (JP/P.J. Leo)

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Tarif Air Keluarga Miskin Naik 63 Persen (Water tariff for poor families rose by 63 percent)

Source: Media Indonesia



Media Indonesia - 02 Juli 2005

JAKARTA--MIOL: Tarif air minum untuk kelompok pelanggan I (panti asuhan) dan kelompok II (keluarga miskin) naik sekitar 63 persen dari Rp550/m3 menjadi Rp900/m3 yang berlaku mulai 1 Juli 2005.

"Saya sudah cari pembanding dengan melihat tarif air untuk golongan miskin di Semarang dan Surabaya, ternyata di Jakarta tetap lebih murah," kata Gubernur DKI Jakarta, Sutiyoso kepada wartawan di Balaikota, Jumat.

Tarif kelompok III A (rumah sederhana) naik Rp550/m3, kelompok IIIB (rumah menengah) dan IVA (rumah mewah) naik Rp600/m3 sedangkan kelompok pelanggan IVB dan Kelompok Khusus naik Rp650/m3.

English Translation

Jakarta -- MIOL: the drinking water tariff for the customer's group I (the orphanage) and the group Ii (the poor family) rose around 63 percent from Rp550/m3 to Rp900/m3 valid from July 1 2005.

"I have looked for the standard by seeing the water tariff for the poor group in Semarang and Surabaya, evidently in Jakarta stayed cheaper," said Special Capital District of Jakarta Governor, Sutiyoso to the reporter in the town hall, on Friday.

The group's III A tariff (the simple house) rose Rp550/m3, the IIIB group (the middle house) and IVA (the luxurious house) rose Rp600/m3 whereas the customer's group IVB and the Group Especially rose Rp650/m3.

Kenaikan tersebut berarti rata-rata tarif air naik 9,49 persen atau rata-rata tarif air menjadi Rp5.838, 62/m3.

Di tempat terpisah, Ketua Badan Regulator Pelayanan Air Minum DKI Jakarta, Ahmad Lanti menyebut kenaikan itu merupakan bagian dari program Penyesuaian Tarif Otomatis (PTO) sejak Januari 2005 yang akan berlangsung selama enam semester.

"Kenaikan ini adalah hasil rebasing (penghitungan ulang) yang panjang sejak 2003. PTO kali ini adalah untuk yang semester kedua," kata Lanti.

Dia menjelaskan dengan selesainya "rebasing" berarti tidak ada lagi alasan bagi mitra PAM Jaya yaitu TPJ (Thames PAM Jaya) dan PT Palyja untuk tidak memberi layanan penuh.

"Tidak ada lagi alasan mereka tidak punya dana sehingga tidak dapat memberi pelayanan penuh. Memang meningkatkan pelayanan tidak semudah membalik telapak tangan, tapi kini masyarakat dapat menuntut jika pelayanan tidak sesuai perjanjian," kata Lanti.

Indikator pelayanan antara lain tekanan air sekitar 0,75 Atm (dapat memancar 7,5 meter), kualitas memenuhi PermenKes No.416/1990 tentang Kualitas Air Bersih, respon keluhan pelanggan paling lambat 5 jam, lama perbaikan pipa tersier paling lambat 24 jam, sekunder 48 jam dan pipa primer 72 jam.

PD PAM Jaya saat ini merancang saluran "online" yang diperkirakan dapat beroperasi mulai Agustus 2005 untuk memonitor kinerja dua mitra mereka.

Dengan adanya saluran online di mana data-data TPJ dan Palyja dapat diakses PD PAM Jaya maka bukti-bukti jika kedua mitra tersebut tidak memenuhi perjanjian kerjasama akan lebih mudah didapat.

Mengenai kenaikan tersebut, Lanti mengatakan kenaikan tersebut dapat dipertanggungjawabkan secara finansial dan masih dalam tingkat kemampuan masyarakat.

Sebelum PTO, Badan Regulator melakukan sosialisasi termasuk temu pelanggan yang dilakukan di 19 kelurahan antara lain Kemayoran, Cempaka Putih, Gambir, Semper Timur, Tugu Utara, Kebon Bawang, Pademangan Barat, Karang Anyar, Pulo Gebang, Cipete Selatan.

"Hasil pertemuan adalah adanya keluhan kuantitas dan kualitas air, sistem administrasi, dan respon kelurahan," kata Lanti.

Analisis Badan Regulator menyebutkan dalam sebulan Kelompok pelanggan I dan II menggunakan air lebih dari 8.7 juta m3, Kelompok III A lebih dari 21 juta m3, kelompok III B lebih dari 9,7 juta m3, kelompok IV A lebih dari 8,7 juta m3, kebanyakan pelangaran menggunakan air lebih dari 20m3/bulan.

Dari pemakaian air tersebut, setiap bulan kelompok II menyetor lebih dari Rp9,66 miliar, Kelompok III A lebih dari Rp79,78 miliar, Kelompok III B Rp51,28 miliar dan Kelompok IV A memberi kontribusi Rp63,477 miliar.

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Masyarakat Masih Mengeluhkan Buruknya Pelayanan (Community continues to complain about bad service)

Source: Kompas




Kompas - 02 Juli 2005

Jakarta, Kompas - Terhitung mulai 1 Juli, tarif air minum di Jakarta naik lagi. Kenaikan secara berkala untuk semester kedua tahun 2005 itu sebesar 9,49 persen. Secara otomatis, tarif air akan naik setiap enam bulan sampai tahun 2007. Namun, sampai saat ini pelayanan terhadap masyarakat masih tetap buruk.

Gubernur DKI Jakarta Sutiyoso telah menyetujui kenaikan tarif air PAM itu. Besarnya kenaikan Rp 5.838 per meter kubik atau jauh lebih rendah yang diusulkan Badan Regulator Air Minum, yakni sebesar 18,1 persen.

English Translation

Jakarta, Kompas - was counted from July 1, the drinking water tariff in Jakarta rose again. The rise periodically during the second semester 2005 that as big as 9,49 percent. Automatically, the water tariff will rise every time six months up until 2007. However, until this the service towards the community was still staying bad.

Special Capital District of Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso agreed to the rise in Pam's water tariff. The Rp rise size 5,838 per cubic metre or far more lower that was proposed the Regulator's Body the Drinking Water, that is as big as 18,1 percent.

Di Balaikota, Jumat (1/7), Sutiyoso mengatakan, tarif air yang naik tidak akan memberatkan warga. Kenaikan itu harus dibarengi dengan peningkatan kualitas pelayanan, baku mutu air, dan tingkat kebocoran pipa air minum,kata Sutiyoso. Ia meminta agar masyarakat tidak mencuri atau membuat pipa ilegal akibat adanya kenaikan tarif.

Pemerintah Provinsi DKI telah menetapkan program penyesuaian tarif otomatis (PTO) air minum setiap enam bulan. Langkah itu mendapat persetujuan DPRD DKI periode 1999-2004.

Kenaikan yang ditetapkan melalui Surat Keputusan Gubernur DKI Nomor 138 tentang PTO tanggal 20 Januari 2005 itu merupakan kenaikan rata-rata untuk semua golongan pelanggan. PTO mulai diberlakukan per 1 Januari 2005 dan merupakan hasil proses re-basing (perhitungan ulang) sejak tahun 2003.

Pelayanan buruk

Kepala Badan Regulasi Pelayanan Air Minum Ahmad Lanti mengatakan, PAM Jaya bisa memberikan sanksi kepada operator air minum (PT Palyja dan PT TPJ) yang tak meningkatkan mutu pelayanan ke pelanggan.

Kenaikan tarif air tak sebanding dengan perbaikan pelayanan kepada masyarakat pelanggan. Selain air kotor, masyarakat juga mengeluhkan kucuran air yang hanya berupa tetesan dan mengalir pada tengah malam.

Buruknya kualitas pelayanan juga diakui PAM Jaya di mana distribusinya tak seimbang dengan kebutuhan konsumen. Dari 704.000 pelanggan, 11 persen di antaranya tidak mendapatkan air sama sekali.

Pengamat kebijakan publik dan konsumen, Agus Pambagio, mengatakan, peningkatan pelayanan tidak mungkin akan terjadi sejauh tidak ada subsidi dari pemerintah.

”Tarif air mau naik setiap bulan, tiga bulan, atau enam bulan sama saja. Tetapi, tidak akan ada peningkatan kalau pemerintah cuma membebani warga dan perusahaan pengelola air, jelas Agus Pambagio.

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Tinggi, Kebocoran PDAM Ciamis (High water losses, PDAM Ciamis)

Source: Pikiran Rakyat




Pikiran Rakyat - 28 Juni 2005

CIAMIS, (PR). Hasil audit yang dilakukan Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan dan Pembangunan (BPKP) Jabar menemukan tingkat kebocoran air milik Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum (PDAM) Ciamis, sudah jauh di atas rata-rata nasional. Kebocoran air PDAM Ciamis, sekarang mencapai 30,07 persen, sedangkan rata-rata nasional 20 persen.

Direktur Umum PDAM Ciamis, Ade Supriatna, ketika dikonfirmasi, "PR", Senin (27/6) membenarkan adanya peringatan dari BPKP Jabar soal tingkat kebocoran air PDAM Ciamis yang tinggi. Kondisi itu karena pipa penyalur air milik perusahaan ini, sudah rusak.

English Translation

Ciamis, (PR). Results of the audit that was carried out the Inspector's Body Finance and the Development (BPKP) West Java found the level of water loss belonging to the regional Company of the Drinking Water (PDAM) Ciamis, has been far above in general national. Water loss PDAM Ciamis, now reached 30,07 percent, whereas in general national 20 percent.

The Director was General PDAM Ciamis, Ade Supriatna, when dikonfirmasi, "PR", Monday (27/6) justified the existence of the warning from BPKP West Java the matter of the level of water loss of PDAM Ciamis that high. The condition because of the distributor's pipe of water belonging to this company, has been broken.

BPKP Jabar beberapa waktu lalu melakukan audit di perusahaan ini. Salah satu catatannya adalah masalah kebocoran air. Namun, Ade membantah kalau ada kebocoran keuangan, sebagaimana isu berkembang. "Kalau keuangannya, tidak ada. Tapi, dalam masalah kebocoran air," katanya.

Ada beberapa alasan, kenapa tingkat kebocoran air masih tinggi. "Selain pipa sudah rusak, ada 548 pencatat meteran milik pelanggan sudah rusak. Sehingga, tidak bisa terdeteksi berapa air yang digunakan pelanggan. Namun, untuk kerusakannya, sudah kita ganti sebanyak 500 buah. Diharapkan, bisa menekan angka kebocoran hingga dua persen," jelas Ade didampingi anggota Badan Pengawas PDAM, Koko Komarudin.

Koko menambahkan, masalah tingkat kebocoran air sudah lama menjadi catatan badan pengawas. Termasuk, dalam memori akhir masa jabatan badan pengawas, masalah kebocoran, harus segera ditangani dengan sebaik-baiknya.

"Di samping perbaikan sarana fisik yang rusak, juga mental pencatat penggunaan air ke pelanggan. Mental mereka juga harus benar-benar baik, yaitu jujur. Sehingga, tidak muncul main mata antara pelanggan dan pencatat untuk mengurangi penggunaan air," katanya.

"Kalau saja kebocoran itu bisa ditekan hingga 10%, bisa menambah 2.000 pelanggan. Atau dengan sendirinya, akan bisa mendapatkan tambahan penghasilan rata-rata Rp 60 juta dari pelanggan setiap bulannya," tegas Koko Komarudin.

Direktur Umum Ade Supriatna mengatakan penanganan kebocoran ini sangat sulit untuk diperbaiki. Alasannya, pipa utama yang ada yaitu pipa yang terbuat dari asbes. Sekarang pabrik yang membuat pipa seperti itu sudah tidak ada lagi sehingga jika terjadi kebocoran sulit diperbaiki. Kalaupun ditangani, hasilnya tidak maksimal.

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Antisipasi Kemarau, Disiapkan Cadangan Air Baku (Water meter problems)

Source: Suara Merdeka



Suara Merdeka - 24 Juni 2005

SEMARANG- Ribuan meteran air dan jaringan PDAM di berbagai wilayah, diketahui bermasalah. Untuk itu, perusahaan daerah tersebut merencanakan merehabilitasi meteran air dan jaringan tersebut dalam waktu lima tahun.

Penjelasan tersebut disampaikan Dirut PDAM Ir Agus Sutyoso MSi, Senin (20/6) saat bersama jajarannya melakukan inspeksi mendadak di beberapa wilayah. Dia menjelaskan, meteran air bermasalah tersebut antara lain buram, ditempatkan tersembunyi, dan pengukurannya sudah tidak akurat.

English Translation

Semarang- Thousands Of water meters and the PDAM network in various territories, it was known had problems. So this regional company planned to rehabilitate the water meter and this network in time five years.

This explanation was sent by the Managing Director PDAM Ir Agus Sutyoso MSi, on Monday (20/6) during with his rank did the sudden inspection in several territories.
He explained, this problematic water meter including the design, was placed was hidden, and his grating has been inaccurate.

Menurut dia, di Kota Semarang terdapat sekitar 134.000 pelanggan. Dari jumlah itu sekitar 15%, ternyata meteran airnya bermasalah. Meteran-meteran air semacam itu, antara lain terdapat di wilayah Semarang Utara di Perumahan Tanah Mas.

Warga di wilayah itu sering meninggikan rumah dan jalan untuk mengatasi persoalan rob. Akibatnya, pipa-pipa PDAM tertanam lebih dalam dan sulit dirawat. Selain itu letaknya juga banyak yang tertutup.

''Kami akan memperbaiki jaringan dan meteran air seperti itu. Namun, itu membutuhkan waktu lama, yakni sekitar empat sampai lima tahun,'' kata dia.

Air Baku

Saat diminta memberikan penjelasan tentang pasokan air baku untuk Instalasi Pengolahan Air (IPA) PDAM di Kelurahan Kudu, Kecamatan Genuk, diperkirakan bakal turun, menyusul datangnya musim kemarau. PDAM dan Dinas PSDA Jateng melakukan berbagai upaya antisipasi, antara lain mempersiapkan cadangan air baku untuk memasok IPA tersebut.

Agus Sutyoso menjelaskan, setiap hari IPA Kudu memperoleh pasokan air baku dari Waduk Klambu di Kabupaten Grobogan. Sedangkan Waduk Klambu memperoleh air dari Waduk Kedungombo. Pada musim kemarau tahun-tahun lalu, pasokan air dari Waduk Klambu untuk IPA Kudu mengalami penurunan. Hal itu mengakibatkan produksi IPA terbesar di Kota Semarang itu juga turun.

''Hingga hari ini (kemarin-Red), kami masih menggunakan pasokan air baku dari Bendung Klambu. Namun jika pasokan menurun, kami telah mempersiapkan cadangannya,'' ucap dia.

Suplesi atau cadangan air baku tersebut diambil dari Jatijajar, Gubug, Rowo Gubug, dan Semarang Oasther Leideng di Karangawen. Total pasokan air baku dari ke empat suplesi tersebut, sekitar 600 liter per detik sampai 800 liter per detik. Sementara pada saat normal, pasokan ke IPA tersebut sudah sekitar 950 liter per detik.

Staf Ahli Direksi PDAM RHS Heru Binowo menambahkan, pada saat musim hujan Waduk Klambu memasok air baku sekitar 1.500 liter per detik ke IPA Kudu. Namun dari jumlah itu, air yang masuk ke IPA hanya sekitar 950 liter per detik.

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Residents, YLKI oppose water rate hike

Source: The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Immediately after moving into a 400-square-meter house in Karet Kuningan, South Jakarta, in 2003, Sugeng applied for a tap water connection with city water company PAM Jaya.

She hoped the connection would ensure a daily supply of clean water for her family of five.

Sugeng, however, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that she was extremely disappointed with the company's service.

"Last month, the tap water stopped flowing for three days. No official came to explain why. I could not just wait so I decided to hire someone to dig a well, bought a water pump and a water sanitizer," said Sugeng, adding that the work cost her more than Rp 2 million.

Dapot Rolan Simandjutak in Cilincing, North Jakarta, had an even worse experience.

The tap water stopped running to his 100-square-meter house for a week, forcing him to buy sanitized water from a vendor. Every day during the week, he spent Rp 700 for every 10 liters of water from the vendor.

The following month Simandjutak received a bill from PAM Jaya for Rp 100,000, far more than the Rp 30,000 to Rp 50,000 he usually paid each month.

"I went to PAM Jaya's office to protest. I told them I usually paid between Rp 30,000 and Rp 50,000 a month. They said one of their employees had made a mistake in reading the meter," Simandjuntak told the Post on Saturday.

Despite the inferior service, the city administration raised the water rate for poor households on Friday from Rp 550 per meter cubic to Rp 900, an increase of 63 percent.

While the water rate was raised 63 percent for low-income households, middle and upper-income residents and commercial enterprises will only be required to pay between 6 percent and 17 percent more for their water.

The lowest rate increase went to special zones, including Tanjung Priok Port, where the rate went up only 5 percent.

The hikes were part of a memorandum of understanding signed by the Jakarta administration and private tap water companies PT Thames PAM Jaya and PT Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) on the repayment of the city's debts of Rp 600 billion to the companies.

Water rates were also raised last February by between 4 percent and 16 percent, effective as of January 2005.

Palyja, a subsidiary of France's ONDEO (formerly Lyonaisse des Eaux) serves customers in western Jakarta, while TPJ, a subsidiary of Britain's Thames Water International, supplies tap water to customers in eastern Jakarta.

Both Sugeng and Simandjutak were unhappy with the increases but told the Post they could do nothing about it.

"I accept the decision, but only if the water keeps running to my house. If it does not I will cancel my PAM connection and buy water from next door," Simandjuntak said.

Indah Suksmaningsih, chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), denounced the increases and demanded the Jakarta administration review its cooperation with its private partners, PT Thames PAM Jaya, and PT Lyonnaise Jaya.

"Rather than increasing rates, the Jakarta administration should review its cooperation with its private partners because they have not shown any significant improvement in providing good service," the YLKI chairwoman said.

Indah said she had received reports that many PAM customers in West and North Jakarta were not receiving water despite having tap water connections.

"About 11 percent of the total number of customers have not received water. But they still pay a monthly service charge," said Indah.

Indah said the administration must review its cooperation agreement with the two private companies because many of the targets contained in the agreement had not been achieved.

"The administration should review the cooperation. If it brings more losses than profit, cancel it," she said.

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