PDAM to produce distilled water<\/p>\n
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Padang<\/p>\n
In an effort to improve its service, the Padang tap water company
\nis planning to produce distilled water for hotels, offices and
\nupmarket housing estates, a state company official has said.<\/p>\n
\"We are making the plans now and we expect the project will
\nmaterialize by the end of next year,\" said Azhar Latif, the
\npresident director of the tap water firm.<\/p>\n
The company is introducing its new service on the back of
\nraising demands from middle- and upper-income customers for
\ndistilled water.<\/p>\n
The distilled water installation will first be constructed in
\nthe Old Padang area where many hotels, government offices,
\nprivate company offices and housing estates are located.<\/p>\n
Meeting the demand from government offices and hotels, the
\ncompany will change the pipes and replace them with the ones
\nsuitable for distilled water.<\/p>\n
Currently, there are 298 state tap water companies (PDAM)
\nacross the archipelago and among that vast number of companies,
\nonly a few have introduced distilled water services, including
\nBuleleng PDAM in Bali, Bandung, Malang, Bogor, Batam and Medan.<\/p>\n
The service has been introduced as it offers competitive
\nadvantages over the purchase of clean drinking water. With
\ndistilled water, customers will not need to boil their water
\nbefore safely drinking it.<\/p>\n
Azhar said that the company was also considering the mineral
\nwater business to sell directly to the public. The company is
\nvying for a new line of business as demand for mineral water
\namong the public is also rising.<\/p>\n
The distilled water and mineral water programs are part of the
\ncompanies effort to increase revenue.<\/p>\n
Currently, the Padang PDAM has 400,000 customers,
\napproximately half the total population of Padang city. The
\ncompany has booked a profit of nearly Rp 2 billion (US$200,000) a
\nyear, on average, over the past few years.<\/p>\n
Although the company's performance has been improving in
\nrecent years, Padang PDAM still has Rp 80 billion in debts to the
\ncity government. The debts were inherited from mismanagement
\nduring the New Order government.<\/p>\n
In order to improve the company's financial performance,
\nPadang PDAM's management board is negotiating with the city
\ngovernment to write off the debts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pdam-to-produce-distilled-water-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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