Tabalong, the first district in Kalimantan passes ODF verification

Tanjung, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Tabalong's passing in the Open Defecation Free (ODF) verification at the end of lat August made it the first ODF district in Kalimantan.

This includes the nomination for the 2020 Community-Based Total Sanitation (STBM) Award.

In fact, there are only the regions in Kalimantan are 100 percent ODF, namely Tabalong District, Samarinda City, and Bontang City.

Meanwhile, Banjarbaru, also in South Kalimantan, is heading toward ODF.

Field verification was carried out by South Kalimantan Health Office together with Tabalong Health Office, puskesmas (community health centers), local villages officials, and Adaro Bangun Negeri Foundation (YABN).

Verification was focus on four things, namely whether there is a floating latrine or not, do they have a toilet or not, the mechanism of using the toilet, and the village regulation regarding ODF.

Head of the Tabalong Health Office Taufiqurrahman Hamdi said the field verification had been carried out for two days. The result was 131 villages and urban villages were ODF.

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Making Tabalong an ODF district was the result of a collaboration of the district government with various parties, one of which is YABN who always committed to supporting Tabalong ODF.

Among things they have done were assistance and monitoring of villages, the publication of educative and entertaining video to teach the public how important it is not to open defecate, and collaboration in the Tuntas movement.
 
Taufik said all this time Tabalong had carried out the Tuntas movement to realize Tabalong ODF.

"Innovation to reach ODF was the Tuntas movement, namely the movement to leave open defecation for healthy Tabalong,” he said.

Most importantly of this achievement was the high participation of the community. Training, triggering, and mentoring were able to provide a change in the mindset and behavior of the community.

From the field verification, the resuts were submitted to the central government. From there, the Ministry of Health will announce which region worth to win the award.

The target is in October, Tabalong will succeed as the first district in Kalimantan to receive ODF status and is entitled to receive the 2020 STBM Award.

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