Indonesia’s water and sanitation crisis Water and Sanitation

Together, we can prevent disease and sustains lives and livelihoods

It’s too easy to forget what miracle water is. In wealthy countries, clean, safe drinking water is so abundant and readily available that we just take it for granted. Access to drinking water is a fundamental human right.

Yet billions of poor people around the world still face the daily challenge of accessing safe water sources, spending countless hours in line or traveling long distances and coping with the effects. on the health of the use of contaminated water.

Millions of people fall ill or die every day because they are forced to do without these most basic services. Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people each year than all forms of violence, including war, making it one of the world’s most pressing health problems.

Situation in Indonesia

With a population of 264 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and claims Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The capital, Jakarta, continues to expand as an international hub; however, rural communities and residents of informal settlements in urban areas struggle in terms of poor health and infrastructure. For many households, water sources are distant, contaminated or expensive, and household sanitation is unaffordable.

Nearly 28 million Indonesians lack safe water and 71 million lack access to improved sanitation facilities. Fortunately, there is a growing microfinance sector serving low-income households across the country, and they are recognizing that financing for water supply and sanitation is a growing need.

In Indonesia and around the world, people are navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and millions are striving to endure this crisis with an added challenge. They lack access to life’s most critical resource – water. Now more than ever access to safe water is critical to the health of families in Indonesia.