Sri Lanka to adopt low-cost, local technology on water treatment
Sri Lanka to adopt low-cost, local technology on water treatment
JAKARTA (JP): Sri Lanka is interested in adopting low-cost,
locally developed water treatment technology which is now being
tested at the Kemang Pratama housing complex in Bekasi.
"We are conducting a good-will mission here, while checking
the possibility of transferring the technology," Sri Lankan
Minister of Housing, Construction and Urban Development Sirisena
Cooray, said yesterday.
The minister is here to meet his Indonesian counterparts,
Minister of Public Housing Akbar Tandjung and Minister of Public
Works Radinal Moochtar.
After a briefing from Radinal at his office yesterday, Cooray
left for Bekasi to see the low-cost water treatment at the Kemang
Pratama estate.
Vice director of the estate, Onradt Sudarno, escorted Cooray
and his entourage to the location. He told The Jakarta Post that
the water treatment site is a pilot project for the new
technology.
The water moves through a narrow ditch, in which bricks and
pieces of wood are positioned to slow down water flow. Then, the
water flows over corroded iron bars which act as a coagulator of
dirts. This is followed by the introduction of chemical 'slimes'
to leech out the remaining impurities. Finally alum is added to
sterilize and purify the water.
The water installation at the estate uses Bekasi river water,
which is heavily polluted, as its main input.
The technology uses wastes of palm oil which are later
transformed into building materials. Radinal said that this
technology, which is currently being applied only to one story
houses, will be tried out on two-story buildings.
Radinal noted that the visit by the Sri Lankan minister is
important, and that the exchange of technological know-how among
developing countries was important in the context of the South
cooperation.
"We have imported their technology on low-cost housing
construction which is now being implemented at the Karawaci
housing complex in Tangerang... If (the technology for the water
project) turns out to be successful, we will re-export the
revised version to the country of origin," Radinal joked. (11)