Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development stated that Indonesia's clean water needs can be met through collaboration and appropriate funding.
The ministry's Deputy for Basic Infrastructure Coordination, Rachmat Kaimuddin, emphasized that the challenges in providing clean water for all Indonesians can be overcome.
"Local water companies typically incur production costs of around five to six rupiah (about US$0.00036) per liter, while the cost of the latest desalination technology has reached around eight rupiah (about US$0.00048) per liter," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The funding needed to provide water for more than 280 million Indonesians can be met," he added.
Kaimuddin noted that the private sector has a crucial role in supporting clean water availability through investment in the development of water treatment plants. However, there must be a partner or institution capable of absorbing production and managing distribution effectively.
"If we encourage the private sector to build water treatment plants, there must be an institution or entity that can receive, manage, and distribute the water efficiently," he explained.
Kaimuddin also highlighted the economic potential of the clean water sector. According to data, the Indonesian bottled water industry recorded revenues exceeding US$3 billion last year.
He stressed the importance of fair and transparent water governance to ensure equitable distribution.
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"This means people are willing to pay for clean water, so there is real market potential," he said.
"We must ensure fair, transparent, and accountable governance to prevent water from becoming a commodity enjoyed by only a few. This is a governance challenge that we need to address," he continued.
He expressed optimism that Indonesia's clean water challenges could be overcome through cooperation and concrete steps from various stakeholders.
"We just need to work together to ensure access to clean water for all," Kaimuddin said.
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Currently, the availability of clean water in Indonesia remains uneven, both in terms of timing, region, quantity, and quality.
To address this, adequate infrastructure development is needed, starting from raw water reservoirs and processing installations to transmission networks and distribution systems reaching the community.
