RI, Holland partnership to tackle water leakage

Severianus Endi, The Jakarta Post, Jambi | Archipelago | Mon, February 11 2013, 9:08 PM

The Pontianak administrative region in West Kalimantan and Oasen, a Dutch drinking water company, signed an agreement on Monday on reducing leakages in the water distribution network owned by the municipality’s tap water company, PDAM Tirta Khatulistiwa.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Pontianak Mayor Sutarmidji, PDAM Tirta Khatulistiwa director Ismail and Oasen director Jeroen Schmaal in a ceremony at the Pontianak municipal administration office on Monday.

“The average leakage figure is around 25 percent. Such leakage is regarded by Oasen as not too bad. But I want the leakage to be reduced by between 11 and 20 percent,” said Sutarmadji.

He said every 1 percent of water leakage was worth Rp 700 million. Old pipelines and water theft were the two main causes of leakages.

As part of the technical partnership, five technical assistants from Pontianak have been sent to Holland to undergo training with Oasen.

Sutarmadji said the Pontianak administration had been cooperating with Oasen for nine years. At Monday’s event, the cooperation was renewed in which the two partners agreed to reduce the leakage level in the municipality’s water distribution network.

“What I want to see is just that the PDAM can be more efficient in reducing the leakage level of the water supply so that our water services can continue to improve,” said Sutarmidji. (ebf)