27 Sanitation Infrastructure in Sumatra Back to Function After the Flood

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works (PU) has completed the handling of emergency 27 sanitation and sanitation infrastructure affected by disasters in the Sumatra region.

The handling includes 15 Final Processing Sites (TPA) and 12 Tinja Lumpur Processing Facilities (IPLT) which previously experienced operational disruptions due to post-disaster material accumulation.

All facilities are now back in operation at the emergency handling stage.

This step was taken to prevent environmental health risks and accelerate the recovery of basic community services.

Minister PU Dody Hanggodo emphasized that the recovery of sanitation infrastructure is an important part of post-disaster handling.

"Sanitation that functions well is a basic need of the community. Therefore, the handling of landfills and IPLT must be done quickly, gradually and sustainably so as not to pose health risks later," said Dody as quoted from a written statement, Friday, April 17.

In the emergency phase, the handling is focused on cleaning the remaining waste volume and materials that hinder access and have the potential to cause environmental health problems.

The effort was carried out intensively so that sanitation services could resume without causing further impacts on the community.

The distribution of infrastructure handled includes Aceh Province with 10 IPLT and 11 landfills, North Sumatra with two IPLT and three landfills, and West Sumatra with one landfill.

In addition to cleaning, the PU Ministry also carried out a number of technical works to support the sustainability of operations.

Among others, the order of geotextiles for landfill cell reinforcement, repair of access roads to the landfill, and rehabilitation of processing units at IPLT.

This activity was also carried out through a labor-intensive scheme involving local people.

In addition to accelerating the recovery of infrastructure, this step also has a direct economic impact on affected residents.

Entering the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase, the PU Ministry targets, the permanent handling and improvement of the quality of sanitation infrastructure will be completed in October 2028.

The effort is aimed at making the domestic waste and wastewater management system operate better and more sustainably.

The government also encourages the development of environmentally friendly sanitation technology through the procurement of Net-Zero Toilet 5.0 to improve the quality of more modern services.

Overall, this step is part of the government's commitment to maintaining environmental quality, protecting public health, and ensuring that basic services continue to run after disasters.