Help Communities In The Midst Of Long Drought, SIG Distributes 906 Thousand Liters Of Clean Water

Arga Bojong Village, Kawunganten District, Cilacap, Central Java, welcomes clean water assistance from PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia Tbk (SBI) Cilacap Factory. (Photo: Doc. SIG)

JAKARTA - The prolonged dry season in 2023 as a result of the phenomenon of El Nino, has caused water scarcity in a number of areas in Indonesia. This condition makes it difficult for most people to get clean water to meet their daily water needs.

As a state-owned company that has a concern for social issues, PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (SIG) through its subsidiary, PT Semen Padang, PT Semen Gresik, PT Semen Tonasa and PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia Tbk (SBI), moved quickly to help the community by distributing 906 thousand liters of clean water.

The distribution of clean water assistance has started from September to October 2023 in four regencies/cities in three provinces including West Sumatra, Central Java and South Sulawesi. In West Sumatra, 46 thousand liters of clean water assistance was distributed by PT Semen Padang to communities in Batu Gadang Village, Lubuk Kilangan District, Padang City.

Meanwhile, in Central Java, as much as 400 thousand liters of clean water were distributed by PT Semen Gresik to communities in 14 villages in 9 sub-districts in Rembang Regency, and 350 thousand liters of clean water were distributed by SBI Cilacap Factory to communities in a number of areas in Cilacap Regency.

As for South Sulawesi, PT Semen Tonasa distributed 80,000 liters of clean water to several public facilities in Pangkep Regency, such as the Batara Siang Hospital as much as 80 thousand liters, the Kalabbirang Health Center as much as 5 thousand liters and the Taqwa Biring E Mosque as much as 25 thousand liters. In addition, since 2012 PT Semen Tonasa has routinely provided clean water assistance to residents in Bulu Cindea Village as much as 90 thousand liters per day.

GIS Corporate Secretary, Vita Mahreyni said, this clean water assistance is proof of SIG's concern for social problems due to drought that is being faced by most Indonesians, especially those around the Company's operational area. This program is not only in line with the pillar of GIS' sustainability to Create Values for Employees and Communities, but is also in line with Sustainable Development Goals number 6, namely ensuring the availability and sustainable clean water and sanitation management for everyone.

"SIG realizes that the existence of clean water is very important for the sustainability of human life and well-being, especially in the midst of the prolonged drought situation that has occurred due to the impact of El Nino as it is now. With this clean water assistance program, it is hoped that it can provide benefits for the community around the operational area in carrying out their daily activities," said Vita Mahreyni, Thursday, October 19.

In addition to distributing clean water to help support the community's needs, GIS has also built reservoirs in the operating area and reclamation, including in the Tuban reclamation area with a total area of 720,000 square meters with a water storage capacity of 6 million m3, at the Rembang Factory covering an area of 5,119 square meters with a capacity of 15,000 m3. The embankment serves to help the surrounding community in meeting clean water needs, especially for agriculture and plantations.

In addition, PT Semen Tonasa also has a pond area of 58.56 ha on the reclamation land used for reservoirs as a water reserve for factory needs.