JAKARTA – The United States, the City of Surakarta, and the Organization for Rural Technology Development launched a new Hygiene Village project that will provide clean water and improve sanitation for nearly 2,000 Indonesians in RW 23 of Semanggi Village of Pasar Kliwon in Surakarta, Central Java.

Under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Indonesia Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IUWASH) program, the Hygiene Village project will build community latrines and establish a water master meter, enabling 355 households to connect pipes with clean water in their homes. The project will also provide hygiene education to the community.

“Water is a basic human need, but for many, accessing safe, clean water is not a reality,” says U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission, Kristen Bauer. “The United States is pleased to help provide local communities with water connections for low-income families. We hope this project can be replicated in other parts of Indonesia to benefit more people.”  

Water supply and sanitation services are very limited in RW 23; most people in the community must rely on one public water tap and toilet facility. Only 10 percent have toilets and most households do not have water pipes delivering clean water into their homes. As a result, many suffer from illnesses such as diarrhea and respiratory ailments.

USAID’s $37 million IUWASH program works in 54 cities and districts across Indonesia to help increase access to clean water for two million people and access to safe sanitation for 200,000. The IUWASH program is just one component of the United States’ environment and health programs in Indonesia that demonstrates the breadth of U.S. engagement under the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership.