BKKBN: The President Kept His Promise To Sanitize Family Potential Stunting

President Jokowi monitors sanitation in Bagan Deli Village, Medan Belawan District, North Sumatra, Thursday 7 July. (ANTARA/Hreeloita DS)

JAKARTA - The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) said President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had kept his promise to improve the sanitation of families who are at risk of stunting.

Kalau rumah ini tidak ada septic tank, kalau banjir rob kan fesesnya naik. Kalau fesesnya naik kan bacteria e-coli di feses nanti ada diarrhea, jadi habis rob mereka diare, sakit maka bisa diami (itu penyebab stunting-nya), kata Kepala BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo di Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara, dikutip dari Antara, Jumat 8 Juli.

Sanitation improvements were carried out when commemorating the 29th National Family Day in 2022 with the location of revitalization in Bagan Deli Village, Medan Belawan District, North Sumatra, as a form of the state's seriousness in protecting children from stunting.

Based on data from Family Data Collection (PK21) in Bagan Deli Village, the number of families recorded living in the area is 3,657 families, with the number of families at risk of stunting reaching 1,795 families.

Meanwhile, the number of families who are at risk of stunting and have an economy in the poor category is 1,587 families.

During his visit to Bagan Deli Village on Thursday, July 7, President Jokowi together with the BKKBN, the Ministry of PUPR and related parties conducted house renovations to be used as pilot houses for local residents in building decent houses for families.

There are three houses that have been revitalized. But later, revitalization will be carried out in 24 selected houses belonging to families who are at high risk of stunting.

According to Hasto, the President's efforts are steps to protect children from stunting and factors that can reduce the quality of children's health, such as diarrhea due to e-Coli bacteria carried over by tidal flooding.

This is important as one of the focuses of stunting alleviation because slum environments contribute 75 percent to stunting in children.

"So if the environment is left slums, there are no latrines and others, then the contribution is 75 percent to stunt," said Hasto.

President Jokowi himself has directly inspected the location and stated that he will soon build an embankment that can protect residents' housing from tidal flooding that always brings garbage and dirt into the house.

"Later on, the Central Government through the Ministry of PUPR will get the area arrangement. So the clean water, sanitation, village roads, everything will be arranged so that it is healthier and better and extreme poverty here can also be eradicated," said Jokowi.