Tirta Bhagasasi Targets 1.2 Million Residents in Bekasi Regency Served with Clean Water

JAKARTA - The Regional Owned Business (BUMD) Perumda Tirta Bhagasasi targets 1.2 million residents in the Bekasi Regency area, West Java to be served clean water by the end of 2027 as stated in the 2023-2027 business plan.

The President Director of Perumda Tirta Bhagasasi Bekasi Regency, Reza Luthfi Hasan, stated that providing clean water services to the community has become the main task of the company as the manager, provider and organizer of clean water services, in addition to optimizing business lines to increase regional income.

"As an operator in the field, this task has a strategic role as well as a form of the government being present to serve the community to support the improvement of the quality of life of residents," he said in Cikarang, quoted by Antara, Monday, March 2.

He explained that in line with this, the company has strategic guidelines contained in the five-year business plan, especially regarding business governance which focuses on increasing service coverage.

The focus includes increasing the number of subscription connections (SL), increasing the volume of water sold, reducing the rate of water loss, and strengthening governance and service quality.

"Thus, it is hoped that the number of people who can be served clean water through the piping network will increase," he said.

Reza admitted that efforts to realize the clean water service target were carried out by increasing the number of subscription connections from the current 284,000 connections to 300,000 subscription connections.

In this way, the company will be able to realize the target of providing clean water services to at least 1.2 million residents out of a total of 3.4 million residents of Bekasi Regency today and a projection of an increase to 3.5 million people by 2027.

This company, while still a legal entity with the label PDAM Tirta Bhagasasi, has actually managed to penetrate this figure before the policy of separating assets by releasing eight office assets and customers to Bekasi City.

"So it needs maximum action through positive performance from all levels to realize the addition of subscription connections of at least 16,000 new customers by the end of next year," he said.

His party is focused on pursuing the target of adding new subscription connections with the priority of people living in densely populated residential areas, new residential areas that continue to grow, and areas that already have existing distribution networks.

General Director of Perumda Tirta Bhagasasi Daud Husin added that in addition to focusing on increasing the number of SL according to the 2027 target, his party is also trying to reduce the rate of water loss or leakage.

"We have formed a special team tasked with enforcing the regulation on unregistered or illegal water pipe connections to protect the rights of customers and ensure the distribution of clean water services runs optimally," he said.

He explained that this special team had started to move by taking action on the initial target, namely the Cibarusah branch service area, with a duty letter signed by him.

Similar enforcement activities are ensured to be continued gradually and sustainably for service areas in a number of other branch offices, considering that the number of water losses to date is still relatively high.

"There are many factors that cause this condition. In addition to illegal connections, it is also due to technical piping that has been long so that there are leaks. Then, the accuracy of the water meter must be evaluated," he said.