REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TANGERANG -- The Tangerang city administration in Banten Province has set a target to build 2.8 thousand houses with access to sanitation facilities in 2016, according to Tangerang Mayor Arief R. Wismansyah.
"Our target this year is to meet the local people's basic needs of houses with sanitation facilities to create a livable city of Tangerang," Wismansyah remarked in Tangerang on Tuesday.
In addition, he noted that the city administration will also build some two thousand lavatories in 13 sub-districts to meet the basic needs of the local society.
According to Wismansyah, a budget of Rp77 billion has been allocated for the construction of houses and latrines in several sub-districts this year.
"The activities to build houses and latrines had been conducted since 2015, and by 2017, it is expected that there will be no houses that will fall in the uninhabitable category," Wismansyah noted.
Last year, the Tangerang Education Office had also built sanitation facilities at 750 schools.
"In cooperation with PT Cipta Karya, we have built sanitation facilities at 750 schools in our efforts to make the students feel comfortable," Tangerang Education Office spokesman Abdul Gani noted.
According to Gani, good schools need good students, and they also need healthy sanitation facilities, which are the core of human dignity and progress.
"Access to clean toilets not only ensures dignity of the individual but also has a positive impact on the health, well-being, and productivity. They also reduce dropout rates and encourage regular attendance in schools," he pointed out.
Abdul noted that recognizing the key significance of sanitation and the role of students as the agents of change, the Tangerang education office, in collaboration with PT Cipta Karya, is making every effort to provide healthy sanitation facilities in schools in the district.
Gani further remarked that the school sanitation initiative aims to inculcate healthy sanitation habits among school children and to increase awareness on dirt and diseases, and the steps they can practically take to improve their health through better sanitation and hygiene.
"The construction and use of appropriate child-friendly sanitary facilities (hand-washing stations, soaps, and toilets) can be especially effective in reducing diarrhea," he emphasized.
Abdul stated that the construction of sanitation facilities in schools will include toilets, garbage disposal, water drains, and clean water supply.
He affirmed that the school sanitation program in Tangerang also aimed at familiarizing the students to lead a healthy lifestyle, so that they can defecate in a designated place.
"Some students had to even defecate in the bushes near the school, but after the implementation of the sanitation program, they finally feel comfortable because their schools have toilets," he pointed out.
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