On April 7, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced a five-year project in partnership with Indonesia to increase access to safely managed drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for residents in low-income communities and strengthen climate-resilient WASH services and water resources management.
The US$44.1 million USAID Indonesia Urban Resilient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (USAID IUWASH Tangguh, or “resilient” in Indonesian) project will work with the government of Indonesia, donor agencies, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, service utilities, and communities to strengthen Indonesia’s WASH and water resources management sectors.
Specifically, USAID will increase access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation services and improve water resources management to support climate-resilient drinking water services, including by using tools to anticipate and monitor water system performance during dry and rainy seasons. Through coaching and positive role modeling, USAID will help women gain skills and confidence to lead WASH and water resources management activities.
“For more than 15 years, USAID’s partnership with the government of Indonesia has improved access to safe water and sanitation for approximately 7.6 million Indonesians. Through the new USAID IUWASH Tangguh project, we support Indonesia’s commitment to providing safe drinking water and sanitation services for all while reducing climate-related risks,” said USAID Indonesia Mission Director Jeff Cohen.
Through partnerships, finance, and data, the USAID project plans to help at least 1.5 million people access safely managed drinking water and at least one million people gain access to safe sanitation services.
USAID will work to build at least 50 public-private partnerships and reach at least one million people through campaigns promoting WASH and water resource management resilience.
The project also expects to help mobilize at least $310 million in domestic, regional, and international financing by brokering arrangements between utilities and new financing facilities to support new connections and water and sanitation infrastructure, including water treatment facilities and energy saving pumps.
USAID IUWASH Tangguh builds on decades of USAID’s partnership in the WASH sector with the government of Indonesia, the private sector, and other partners to improve access to safe water and sanitation services. The project will address climate-related risks, such as floods and droughts, and work to ensure climate risk data and response measures are factored into utility and local government water supply and water resource management approaches.
Photo credit: U.S. State Dept. / USAID