Regent Epyardi Asda Threatens To Decide Access To PDAM Clean Water To Solok City: It Feels We Are Quite Patient

Solok Regent Epyardi Asda while chairing the Solok Regency DPRD meeting (ANTARA/Laila Syafarud)

SOLOK - The Solok Regency Government (Pemkab), West Sumatra, has threatened to cut off all access to clean water by the Solok City PDAM which is supplied by four rivers in the area. The Regent of Solok, Epyardi Asda, has threatened to seal the pipe that distributes water belonging to the Solok City PDAM if in the next week the retribution shortage of around Rp. 310 million has not been paid. Long before the results of the BPK audit came out, the Solok Regency Government had sent two letters in November and December 2022 to the Solok City Government which aimed at discussing the completion and the raw water sale and purchase tariff scheme between the two neighboring areas. The first letter was responded to with busy reasons, then the second letter was not answered at all. According to him, it was very arrogant and underestimated the people of Solok Regency. “ I think we are patient enough. We will again make a letter to Solok City to be able to pay off. If there is still no response and does not pay off, then we will not hesitate to close the springs for Solok City,” he said. The trigger is the findings of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on the regional financial management of Solok Regency for Fiscal Year 2022. In addition, the Head of the Regional Finance Agency (BKD) of Solok Regency, Indra Gusnadi, said that based on the BPK audit, the Solok City PDAM did not pay fully the levy of water utilization which was designated as Regional Original Revenue (PAD) of Solok Regency. The use of the net PDAM source has been determined through a cooperation agreement that was last updated in 2019. In addition, he also said that the Solok Regency Government in 2022 had budgeted for more than IDR 53 billion PAD, one of the sources from the contribution of using raw water by the Solok City PDAM which was set at IDR 520 million in the one year term. Furthermore, Indra said the amount of levy on water utilization was only paid in the period January to May 2022 with a total of more than IDR 174 million or only 36 percent of the amount set out in the APBD.

Since June until now, the payment of levies on the use of raw water from rivers in Solok Regency has stopped, arguing that the selling price of water has not been agreed upon by the two regions.