Banjarmasin's 10 urban villages declaring stop open defecation

Banjarmasin, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - The City Government of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, announced that 10 more out of 52 urban villages (kelurahan) in the city have declared to stop open defecation by 2023.
 
Head of Banjarmasin Health Office M Ramadhan here on Tuesday said that Open Defecation Free (ODF) declaration is a continuation program.

"So this year the declaration continues in 10 urban villages," he explained.

Last year, he said, 15 urban villages had declared ODF, and now the number becomes 25.
 
The 10 urban villages that announced ODF this year are Kelayan Barat, Gadang, Melayu, Kuripan, Belitung Selatan, Telaga Biru, Kertak Baru Ilir, Sungai Baru, Pekauman, and Pengambangan.
 
Mayor H Ibnu Sina said that ODF is a phenomenon when an individual within a certain environment no longer defecate in the open, because it has consequences to environmental pollution and trigger the spread of diseases.
 
Mayor said that the city government had made a commitment and participate in declaring the importance of stop open defecation program.

The program began in 2019, thus the community-based total sanitation (STBM) increased from initially nine percent to 27.8 percent. 
 
"This is certainly a good progress in handling sanitation in our city," said Ibnu Sina.
 
He said the target in 2024 at least 37 urban villages to be in ODF program or reaches 80 percent for the city to be registered in the assessment of the category of Healthy Cities in Indonesia.
 
"Indeed, we have to work together with agencies and related institutions. The key is collaboration, as when we talk about ODF, we also talk about public housing, sanitation, garbage and waste handling," said Ibnu Sina.

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