UNICEF Launches Campaign Calling for Better, Safer Sanitation in Indonesia

TheIndonesia.id - The United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF, has launched a new campaign aiming to raise awareness on the importance of safer sanitation to improve the health of children in Indonesia.

The #DihantuiTai (haunted by poo) campaign seeks to inform households about safe sanitation and how faecal contamination in water sources puts public health at risk, and it also calls for families to install, check, repair, or change their septic tank and seek desludging services at least once every three to five years.

In a statement on Monday, February 7, UNICEF said a 2020 study by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health revealed that nearly 70 percent of the 20,000 household drinking water sources tested in Indonesia are contaminated by faecal waste, and it facilitates the spread of diarrhoeal disease, which is the leading cause of death in children under five years.

UNICEF representative Robert Gass said the importance of safe sanitation for public health, especially children, cannot be overstated as the risks of poor sanitation can be life-threatening.

“Safe sanitation is life-changing for children and puts them on the path to reaching their full potential, but far too many children are living in communities impacted by unsafe sanitation, which is endangering every aspect of their development,” Gass said in the statement.

The #DihantuiTai campaign features a team of ‘poobusters’ rescuing towns and cities that are haunted by poo. And as part of the campaign, UNICEF also launched the www.cekidot.org website to help the public finding relevant and practical information on how to ensure their septic tanks are safe and where to find desludging services.

In addition to this campaign, UNICEF said it’s also currently working to support the Indonesian government in developing a national roadmap to accelerate access to safely managed sanitation.

Later in May, a high-level Sanitation and Water for All conference is planned to take place in Jakarta where ministers responsible for water, sanitation, health, environment, and the economy from across the world will meet and discuss accelerating access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.

“The pandemic has brought greater attention to the importance of living in a clean environment. Poorly managed sanitation can weaken children’s immune systems and lead to irreversible harm or even death. Through this initiative, we hope more communities across the country will take a greater role in managing their household sanitation to improve the health and well-being of children and their families,” Gass concluded.