Access to Clean Water: A Problem for Indonesia

Access to clean water is one of Indonesia's biggest

problem. According to the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) Report 2007, published by the National

Development Planning Board, piped water is accessible

to 30.8 per cent of households in the country's cities

and 9 per cent in its villages. Such fi gures show the

limitations of the municipality's water service provider,

PDAM.

Lack of investment in clean water is one reason

PDAM gives for its limited outreach. Based on a

government statement, to meet the MDGs target by

2015, Indonesia needs Rp43 trillion (US$4.6 billion)

in clean water funding. The government currently

provides Rp500 billion.

In order to close the funding gap, the government

expects private investment in drinking water

infrastructure.

The need for clean water funding is something that

cannot be covered by private investment. In Indonesia,

most PDAM utilities have small scales of economy and

are therefore unattractive to investors.

There is no evidence to suggest private investors

will improve the effi ciency and effectiveness of water

services, whereas the government has a duty to do so.

Increasing public funding for clean water

infrastructure is the most rational approach for

Indonesia. This effort should begin with an analysis

of the needs of locals. This should be done through a

democratic and participatory process.

There are resources and mechanisms the government

could employ to increase clean water funding, such as

state and local budgets, grants, government bonds and

community-public partnership.

In order to use a grant system, the government

should improve its proposal management and clearly

focus on real needs in order to widen clean water

services.

PDAM could use existing funds more effi ciently.

if it could reduce leakages from 40 per cent to 20 per

cent, it would have more disposable funds to invest

in infrastructure. PDAM should use cost recovery

principles, as long as costs are not passed on to

consumers. Cost recovery principles should also be

supported by a proper subsidy mechanism.

Bond investing is a traditional lending instrument

for public services. The mechanism needs conditions,

such as strong capital structure at local level.

A few of mechanisms in place now do help the

poor access clean water at affordable prices. The most

important thing is to make sure the mechanisms run

properly and that the needs of people at the local level

are met through appropriate funding.

Source: Developing English Competencies for Grade XI of Language Programme

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Helping Children Discover Their Own Identity

Children of today's advanced world are different
from those in the past. With easy access to modern
technology, chil dren of today are able to learn
everything they encounter in their life, including
world-class information. In terms of knowledge of the
world, one must admit, they seem to surpass children
brought up in the era when techno logical equipment
was still traditional.


The rapid growth of children's cognitive, physi cal
and social adaptations is an indication of how they
can be easily shaped by the modern vicinity. This is a
critical period when children are begin ning to try to
discover their own true identity.


Parental guidance is necessary to assist them in
leading to the correct path. To do this, intervention,
however, is not always mandatory if parents are
upbeat that their offspring can handle the conundrum
they are facing on their own. Self-reliance, in any
occasion, needs to be stressed.



What parents need to do is to respect the changes
going on within their child's world, and respond
appropriately to their changing needs. Here a close
monitoring rather than control taking is essential.
This may sound like ideal advice; yet not all
parents may agree with this. A parent who was raised
in a democratic family atmosphere will certainly
pass down the freedom he/she had enjoyed during
childhood to his/her offspring. On the other hand,
those who were brought up in a conservative and
authoritative family will inculcate traditional values
to their children, restricting them by tightly abiding to
what the parents believe to be the correct norms.


Clearly, a parent's family back-ground will, exert a
considerable infl uence in helping his/her children to learn
both formally and informally. It is more likely that parents
will consistently follow the mind-set they adopted from their
father or mother if they think that it is benefi cial. Today's
parents, how ever, need to be aware that not all values and
norms that their parents implanted in them during their
childhood are compatible with modern reality. Things
have changed consider ably, and parents should take this
into account.


It might, for example, be felt less relevant to impose
traditional control over their children's conduct about
what they need to do to attain academic achievement.


However, most parents still cling to this, acting as if
they are omni scient and know perfectly what is best
for their children.


In guiding children in search of true identity,
it is important for today's parents to listen and
accommodate all feedback from their chil dren. Though
it seems too diffi cult for some conservative parents to
implement this, it is essential to a child's development
into an emo tionally mature adult.


Parents also should not exercise too much authority
so as to overprotect their children to develop their
potential to the fullest. Parental intervention, if it is done
in an improper man ner, can do more harm than good.



If not in accord with children's interests, parents'
excessive intervention is seen by chil dren as something
that inhibits rather than facilitates their academic
excursions. Parents may probably not realize that their
children simply want them to stay in the background
and to provide whatever support and resources they
need to venture out into the world.


This does not imply that intervention is not
necessary. At the very young age when the infl u ence
of a peer group is extremely powerful, parents need
to intervene by setting a strong measure to help their
children resist the pressure to behave in ways that do
not meet family standards.


The best way parents can aid their children is by
successfully discovering their true identity and growing
up to be an emotionally mature adult is to take a fl exible
approach. Parents need not always rigidly follow and
impose certain norms and values, which are imbued with
their family tradition during their childhood, on their
children. Understand ing children from the way they see
the reality is surely a far more rewarding experience.

Evaries Rosita–Contributor/Jakarta

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