“This activity is really positive since it focuses on social aspects such as sanitation, hygiene, and health, which are in accordance with standards.”

Putri Irvanna – Technical Services Officer, BSN Makassar

#CommPlumbing

IWSH held a Design Week project in the coastal village of Kampung Nelayan Untia in November 2019: an intensive four-day assignment concluded with a presentation to Untia community authorities and local residents for a new public facility that features new toilets, a new hand-washing area, a new water supply system, and a new wastewater system. Badan Standardisasi Nasional (BSN), the Indonesian standardization body, and IWSH have since taken the proposals to relevant government departments for final approval. The public facility will be assembled during a follow-up Construction Week event, whose date will be determined: originally slated for June 2020, this international team construction project remains on hold due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Through 2017-18 IWSH’s international Community Plumbing Challenge (CPC) also delivered a sustainable upgrade of water supply, wastewater, and hand-washing facilities to an elementary school in Cicau Village, Cikarang, Bekasi (West Java) Indonesia. In addition to the plumbing improvements, this program provided free medical treatment and counseling on the importance of hygiene for public health.

• Article: Design Team Tackles Water Supply, Wastewater Management Issues in Untia Village
• Report: Community Plumbing Challenge 2017, Final Report
• Video: A Basic Human Right is Forgotten

COVID-19 response

In 2020 IWSH also collaborated with Kampung Nelayan Untia authorities and BSN Makassar to design and build two new public hand-washing stations, provide hand soap and facemasks to all households, and supply new personal protective equipment and respiratory masks to the local clinic, which was serving as a COVID-19 testing center.