Poor residents get water installation subsidy

Jakarta governor Fauzi Bowo met with poor residents Wednesday to inspect a water-for-poor program in Sumur Bor residential area, West Jakarta, on Wednesday.    

Some 264 residents of Sumur Bor, Kalideres, West Jakarta have received subsidies for new tap water installations through a World Bank Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid with water operator PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyjaa).     

Under this program, residents pay Rp 120,000 for a year for new water installation, Rp 480,000 cheaper than the usual cost of Rp 600,000.

"Now that you have clean tap water, the people here should also live a healthier lifestyle. There should be no littering," Fauzi said to Sumur Bor residents.

A resident, Juju, 43 said that before tap water was installed in her house, she had to buy jerry cans of water, that cost Rp 2,000 each. "Now, it's easier because we have good running water," she said.

Palyja spokesperson Meyritha Maryanie said that the program targets more than 6,000 households to have tap water in their houses.

As of October, some 4,884 households in seven areas in West Jakarta -- Menceng, Muara Baru, Rawa Bengkel, Rawa Lele, Utan Jati, Sumur Bor and Warung Gantung, have received installments of tap water.  

World Bank water and sanitation specialist Irma Magdalena Setiono said that the grant would be around US$2 million for 6500 new connections.

Palyja will finance the initial cost and will receive reimbursement from the World Bank after independent auditors assess the success of the program.

Meyritha said that subsidized water customers had to consume an average of 10 cubic meters of water per month for the World Bank to disburse the money.

"Because that (volume of water consumption) shows that the people really need the connection," she said.        

Palyja serves West, Central and North Jakarta, covering 63.78 percent of those areas.