Jakarta Not Yet a Global City, Sanitation Problems Neglected: DPRD Member

Member of Commission B of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Jupiter, reminded the DKI Provincial Government not to solely focus on building large projects. According to him, there are still many basic service issues in dense settlements that have not been resolved, ranging from sanitation, neighborhood road safety, to access to clean water. Jupiter made these remarks after absorbing the aspirations of residents during a recess in RW 03 and RW 07, Keagungan Village, Taman Sari District, West Jakarta, on Thursday, July 2. Jupiter assessed that the development of Jakarta would lose its meaning if the most basic needs of the community were still neglected. "Development must be felt by the residential area," said Jupiter, quoted on Sunday, July 5. One of the problems complained about by residents appeared in RW 07. Residents asked for the installation of speed bumps and convex glass at a number of points in the neighborhood road to reduce the potential for accidents due to the high traffic of vehicles. Following up on this aspiration, Jupiter asked the DKI Jakarta Transportation Office to immediately install road safety facilities. "The safety of residents must be a priority," he said. Apart from safety issues, Jupiter also highlighted the poor sanitation conditions in RW 03. Based on the aspirations of residents, about 120 houses do not have septic tanks, so household waste is still directly dumped into the river. According to him, this condition is not in line with Jakarta's aspirations as a global city if basic sanitation issues are still not met. "There are still residents who have not enjoyed decent sanitation. This must be a concern," Therefore, Jupiter asked the DKI Jakarta Water Resources Office and the DKI Jakarta Housing Office to allocate a budget to build communal sanitation facilities in densely populated areas. He emphasized that the fulfillment of basic services is the responsibility of the government, so it cannot only rely on corporate assistance through social responsibility programs. "The government must be present through programs and budgets, not just relying on CSR," Jupiter revealed that similar sanitation problems were also found in the Palmerah area, South Sukabumi, to Serengseng. He hopes that the equalization of basic services will be a priority for the development of Jakarta so that the benefits of development are truly felt by the community at the neighborhood level.