Samarinda (ANTARA) – The East Kalimantan Provincial Government, through its Public Works, Spatial Planning, and Public Housing Agency (Dinas PUPR), has mapped the disparities in basic sanitation coverage across the 10 regencies and cities within the province.
“Mapping these regional sanitation gaps is crucial for accelerating the provision of safe sanitation access,” stated the Head of the East Kalimantan Public Works, Spatial Planning, and Public Housing Office, Irhamsyah, in Samarinda on Tuesday.
According to the 2026 Minimum Service Standards (SPM) and the City Sanitation Strategy Program (PPSP) report, the average coverage of “adequate” (decent) sanitation in East Kalimantan has reached 89.08 percent.
However, the average coverage of “safe” sanitation across the entire province remains very low, at only 4.16 percent.
“Balikpapan City has recorded the highest rate of safe sanitation access in East Kalimantan, at 13.76 percent,” Irhamsyah noted.
Meanwhile, the lowest rate of safe sanitation access is found in Mahakam Ulu District, which currently stands at zero percent.
Conversely, the highest rate of “adequate” sanitation access was achieved by North Penajam Paser District, reaching 97.67 percent.
“These disparities are influenced by challenging geographical conditions and variations in population density across the regions,” Irhamsyah explained.
Three urban areas exhibit high population density, while the seven regencies feature residential settlements that are widely dispersed over vast areas.
The East Kalimantan Provincial Government has officially identified seven fundamental obstacles that are hindering the acceleration of targets for safe sanitation access in the region.
“Most regency and city governments do not yet possess a detailed database of sanitation service beneficiaries,” Irhamsyah said.
Currently, the available domestic wastewater treatment infrastructure across the East Kalimantan region consists of 242 domestic wastewater treatment plants (IPALD) and 10 septage treatment plants (IPLT).
A scheduled septage management service program is currently in operation in only three cities, while seven other regencies still face limitations regarding operational facilities.
“Local governments are pushing to accelerate the development of an integrated master plan for domestic wastewater management,” Irhamsyah said.
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Translator: Ahmad Rifandi, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Primayanti
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