Four USAID programs have developed modern public sanitation facilities in the hope of improving the quality of life of the people in North Petojo.
Jakarta. The ambience encompassing Community Unit Number 08 in North Petojo, North Jakarta, that Saturday morning of September 1, 2007, was that of a big family gathering. The men wore batik, the women were clad in kebaya (traditional blouses), and everyone smiled and happily greeted the other guests as they arrived. It was indeed an important moment for the community, as on that day their new MCK++ was to be launched officially.
Built on a 106-meter-square area, the MCK++ is a public sanitation facility consisting of 6 toilets, 4 bathrooms and 2 public taps for laundry activities. It is also equipped with a water installation, which provides drinking water for hundreds of families in the community. The water distributed is ground water purified by the Air RahMat water purifier. The MCK++ was built over a period of four months by Environmental Services Program (ESP), Safe Water System (SWS), Health Services Program (HSP) and Mercy Corps with a cost of US$ 40,000.
The MCK++ is also the first public sanitation facility in Jakarta to use the Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS) technology, which enables waste water from MCK++ be purified as to not pollute Krukut river, the end recipient of the waste.
”This is the kind of public facility we have been waiting for, because most of us don’t have money to build our own bathrooms,” said the head of the community, Irwansyah.
For Yuyun, one of the area residents, the newly launched facility means more comfort while doing laundry. “Oh, this is such a useful facility, as I don’t have a toilet at home. And now there is a special place to wash clothes. Gone are the days when we had to crowd around one water tap that could only accommodate two persons without jostling.”
The MCK++ is now ready to use. But residents at Community No. 08 now have important homework to do: Keep the public facility clean and safe, so that they can use it for as long as they live.
Sari Tobing, ESP Jakarta
