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s many as 30,000 households in East Java will be provided access to clean water this year after the central government and provincial administration inaugurated in Gresik on Friday 11 Clean Water Distribution System (SPAM) facilities in nine regencies in the province.

The facilities, worth a total Rp 121 billion (about US$12.82 million), are located in Sampang, Gresik, Lamongan, Jember, Madiun, Kediri, Pacitan, Blitar and Tulungagung regencies.

The central government, represented by Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, said the SPAM project in Sampang regency, was located on Mandangin Island.

“The Clean Water Management Installation (IPA) on Mandangin uses the Sea Water Reverse Osmosis System (SWRO) to process sea water,” said Djoko in his keynote address in Driyorejo, Gresik regency, on Friday.

The IPA on Mandangin Island is able to filter contaminants, such as viruses, bacteria, chemicals and heavy metal by using high pressure water and semi-permiable membrane measuring 0.0001 micron. The Mandangin IPA is able to supply the clean water needs of 5,760 families.

The SPAM projects in East Java, according to Djoko, are part of national efforts to improve clean water distribution in line with Millennium Development Goals by 2015 of 68.87 percent and 41.03 percent of people gaining access to pipe water.

According to East Java Governor Soekarwo, clean water access to people in the province has only reached 62.66 percent of the 37.6 million inhabitants. East Java has set its target at 73 percent by 2015.

“As of the end of 2011, around a remaining 14 million people had not yet gained clean water access in East Java,” said Soekarwo.

To overcome the issue, the central government plans to accelerate the construction of the Umbulan SPAM in Pasuruan regency, which has a water volume of up to 4,000 liters per second. The Umbulan SPAM, according to Djoko, is projected to be the largest SPAM project carried out by the government and has become a national showcase.

“When completed, the Umbulan project will be able to cover around 40 percent of the remaining residents who have yet to access clean water in East Java, or around 4 million people,” said Djoko.

The central government has earmarked Rp 11.8 trillion in the Public Works Ministry’s strategic plans between 2010 and 2014 to meet the target of 10.7 million lives gaining access to clean water. This has been prioritized for communities in district capitals, drought-prone areas and low-income earners.

One of the facilities which has been built is the Driyorejo SPAM in Gresik which has a capacity of 100 liters per second, so it is able to supply the clean water needs of people from the low-income bracket in Driyorejo around the clock now from only 18 hours before.