Wabub Husni Merza Said That There Are Only 3 Sub-districts In Siak Whose Houses Have 100 Percent Latrines

Deputy Regent of Siak Husni Merza and Head of Siak Health Office, Toni Chandra after FGD of Community-Based Total Sanitation, Siak Towards SBABS/Via ANTARA

SIAK - Deputy Regent of Siak, Riau Province, Husni Merza revealed that in his area there are only three sub-districts whose houses 100 percent have latrines or have implemented the stop open defecation (SBABS) movement. The three sub-districts are Dayun, Lubuk Dalam and Kerinci Kanan.

Based on data from June 2022 in Siak Regency alone, there are still 1,226 families who do not have healthy latrines spread across several sub-districts.

"About 66 villages/kelurahan or 50.36 percent have SBABS in Siak Regency," he said during a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) event related to Community-Based Total Sanitation, Siak headed for SBABS in Siak, Antara, Thursday, July 28.

He said to support the implementation of SBABS in all sub-districts, the Siak Regency Government helped in terms of capacity building. Also the formulation of strategies, program management and financial support from the Siak Regency Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget.

"I hope to the sub-district heads, heads of public health centers and other parties, that within the next one month progress has been made, otherwise we will gather and discuss again," he said.

The government, through the 2020-2024 State Medium-Term Development Plan and the 2021-2026 Siak Regency Regional RPJM, has mandated this. That at the end of the RPJMN and RPJMD, basic services of drinking water and sanitation can be enjoyed by all Indonesian people, especially Siak Regency.

"In 2026, we hope that all the people of Siak Regency, both those living in urban and rural/village areas, will have access to safe water sources and proper sanitation facilities," he hoped.

Meanwhile, Head of the Siak District Health Office, Toni Candra, said that access to basic sanitation is still a problem that has an impact on poor public health.

According to the World Health Organization report, Indonesia is ranked 3rd with the worst sanitation after India and China.

"Bad water sources and sanitation can cause infectious diseases. Poor water sources and poor sanitation can interfere with their growth and development so that it can cause stunting in children in the future," said Toni.