House Member: State Must Ensure Public Access to Safe Drinking Water

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Novita Hardini, has reminded that the state must ensure the public has access to safe drinking water. “Water is the essence of life. Therefore, the state must ensure the public has access to safe, healthy, and protected drinking water,” she said during a meeting at the parliament complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday. During a hearing with the Working Committee on the Bottled Drinking Water Industry, Novita stressed that bottled water is not merely an industrial issue, but concerns the basic rights of the people. “The basic rights of the people must not be defeated by weak oversight and overlapping regulations,” she stated. According to her, there are at least three issues that need government attention: the crisis of water justice, the crisis of product safety, and the crisis of social responsibility within the bottled drinking water industry (AMDK). “The question is, who is responsible for overseeing the usage limit of these reusable gallons? To this day, the public has not received certainty regarding a clear oversight mechanism,” she said. In the meeting attended by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and the National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN), Novita also questioned the effectiveness of supervision over AMDK companies. She said the government must be transparent in disclosing data on companies that violate regulations so that the public receives accurate information and can make wise decisions. Beyond the oversight aspect, she also highlighted the lack of public education regarding the safe consumption of bottled water. She noted that some members of the public still do not understand the risks of storing drinking water in conditions that do not meet standards, such as exposure to excessive heat or direct sunlight. “We often see campaigns about food safety, but education regarding the storage and use of bottled drinking water is still very minimal, even though this concerns the health of millions of Indonesians every day,” she said. “When the DPR voices consumer protection, it should not be clashed with misleading public opinions. Our task is to ensure the public receives correct information and maximum protection,” she added. Novita urged BPOM and BPKN to be more proactive in conducting oversight while expanding outreach to the regions. The state must be tangibly present in guaranteeing the quality and safety of the drinking water consumed by the public. “Consumer protection must not stop at the meeting table. There must be strong oversight, transparent data, and massive education so that the public is truly protected. This is a constitutional mandate that we must carry out together,” she concluded.