People unaware of sanitation

TANGERANG: The local health office has stepped up its campaign to break the long-standing habit among residents of poor subdistricts near Soekarno-Hatta International Airport of using their gardens as toilets.

The head of the office, Nuriman Machyudin, said on Friday that months of surveys by his staff in Sukatani and Kampung Bulak Kambing villages showed that residents of the slum areas were unaware of sanitation.

"Even members of families who have lavatories in their houses prefer to go to the bathroom in the yard," Nuriman said as quoted by Antara. "It's quite difficult to change their habit and promote a healthy lifestyle."

In its study, the medical staff found 16 people suffering from tuberculosis, nine of them requiring intensive care. Apart from TB, the staff also discovered diseases resulting from unhygienic conditions, including diarrhea and intestinal worms.

Nuriman said the campaign would move to the mayoralty's other subdistricts of Karawaci Ilir, Sudimara Selatan, Pasir and Kampung Panjang.

He said people in the areas would be obliged to build 823 public lavatories. (amd)