The 2030 Visium Program from the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry aims for 100-percent smart residences, with 100-percent drinking water service, zero slum areas, and 100-percent sanitation service.

In realizing this, the ministry encourages sound collaboration from all key stakeholders, including professional associations, PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono noted through an official statement on Monday.

Environmental engineering is related to residential and housing environment sanitation, handling of air pollution, environment impact, public health, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, he explained.

To this end, environmental engineers are expected to realize smart residences, he remarked.

The development of drinking water, wastewater, and waste infrastructure is being undertaken by the ministry since the service coverage is still low.

While the drinking water service coverage currently already reached around 91 percent, coverage for safe drinking water through new pipes only reaches 20.9 percent.

It is also the case with the waste sector wherein the service already reached 80.2 percent, but it encounters several problems when it comes to waste source handling and landfills.

In the wastewater sector, domestic and industry wastewater handling also calls for serious attention.

Hence, the ministry expects the involvement of Indonesian sanitary and environment engineers to collectively provide inputs, recommendations, and innovation to improve the quality of drinking water and sanitation infrastructure in cities and villages.

The improvement of infrastructure quality is also expected to occur in national priority strategic zones.

The Indonesian Society of Sanitary and Environment Engineers (IATPI), as a professional association, is expected to fulfill its role as the agent of change in drinking water and sanitation service in Indonesia.

Source: Antara News