City mulls adopting Malaysian septic tank

City mulls adopting Malaysian septic tank

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The capital's unintegrated sewage system has long been blamed for
contaminating groundwater and rivers with untreated waste.

The Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD Jakarta)
had reported earlier that most shallow artesian wells were
contaminated with the Escherichia coli, or E. coli, bacteria,
from human feces seeping through conventional septic tanks. Many
septic tanks have been built too close to wells at homes, due to
the dense 8.6 million population.

The city administration is thus considering the adoption of a
Malaysian technology that installs fiber-reinforced plastic
septic tanks at homes and buildings to reduce the pollution level
of sewage.

"The City Development Planning Board and the Construction
Supervision and Regulation Agency (PPB) will require all
developers to include the plastic septic tanks when obtaining
building permits for construction projects," Governor Sutiyoso
told reporters on Tuesday at City Hall after a meeting with
prospective investor Pembinaan Jayabumi (Sarawak) Berhad of
Malaysia.

He added that the new septic tanks would be mandatory only for
new houses, office buildings and commercial structures for the
time being. Each septic tank will cost between Rp 2.5 million
(US$271.74) and Rp 3 million.

The city administration has set up two pilot projects -- in
Kebagusan and Lenteng Agung, both in South Jakarta.

However, Sutiyoso has not disclosed when the administration
would give the approval to start the projects.

The fiber-reinforced plastic septic tank is a more affordable
solution than the proposed integrated sewage system by Australian
firm Global Grid, which would cost Rp 50 trillion.

"I think the social costs of the (septic tank) project will be
less than the expensive sewage project, because the investor will
have to dig up all underground sewage pipes (to install the new
system)," Sutiyoso said.

He added the plastic septic tanks would also benefit local
businesses, as they could produce the tanks.

"I have told my subordinates to calculate if we can use a
portion of the Subdistrict Community Empowerment Program (PPMK)
to help the poor who live in slums to buy the septic tanks," he
said.

Under the PPMK, which is run by the administration, soft loans
are offered at an interest rate of 1 percent. The program was
initiated in 2001 with an aim to help residents start up or
develop small-scale businesses.

This year, the city disbursed Rp 750 million in PPMK loans to
each of its 267 subdistricts. Last year, the subdistricts
received Rp 500 million each.

Pembinaan Jayabumi Berhad president director Ahmad Johan said
the septic tanks could reduce the pollution level of sewage to 50
biological oxygen demand (BOD), from the 75 to 85 BOD of
pollution from conventional tanks.

"The tanks will be equipped with plastic foam that act as a
filter as well as a hotbed for decomposing bacteria," he said,
adding that similar tanks had a life span of more than 18 years
in Malaysia.