Will Manage Funds IDR 15 Trillion, Indonesia Water Fund Improves Access To Clean Water To 40 Million Residents

SOE Minister Erick Thohir conveyed his statement to the media crew at the SOE International Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) has launched an Indonesia Water Fund (IWF) or clean water funding. The existence of IWF as a platform to support the acceleration of investment in the provision of clean water connections to residents' homes.

IWF was initiated by the Ministry of SOEs through the synergy of Holding BUMN Danareksa (Danareksa, Nindya Karya, Perum Jasa Tirta 1, and Perum Jasa Tirta 2). The launch was carried out during the State Owned Enterprises (SOE) International Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali, Monday 17 October. "We started the IWF program in the context of accelerating, equitable access to clean water services for the people of Indonesia," said SOE Minister Erick Thohir.

Meanwhile, quoted by Antara, Erick Thohir revealed that at the initial target, IWF will manage funds of around Rp. 15 trillion to improve access to clean water for 40 million Indonesians.

"The initial target is that IWF will manage funds of US $ 1 billion or around Rp. 15 trillion from strategic partners to improve access to clean water for the 40 million people of Indonesia," said Erick.

Erick explained that the IWF program is a platform to support the acceleration of investment in the provision of clean water connections to homes, where clean water is still a challenge in various countries, including Indonesia. "Only 23 percent of Indonesians have access to clean water piping. Some Indonesians still face challenges inequality in the price of clean water with a price range of Rp. 65,000 to Rp. 140,000 per cubic meter," he said.

Erick hopes that with the synergy between BUMN and strategic private and global partners, IWF is expected to be an alternative solution for the government in accelerating the expansion of clean water to the community through non-APBN funding. Furthermore, Erick is also committed to continuing to run programs that have a direct impact on improving the quality of life of the community. Erick emphasized that the role of SOEs as agents of development in society will go hand in hand with the transformation of SOEs. "We believe that if these two priorities work together, SOEs can further increase their role as locomotives for the development of the Indonesian nation. Of course we cannot run alone, therefore in this event we opened the door as wide as possible to collaborate with the government, Private Sector and also Global Strategic Partners to jointly build ecosystems in Indonesia," said Erick.