Martapura, South Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - Regent Banjar Khalilurrahman targets to eliminate thousand floating latrines from body of the river.
"Our target is to eliminate thousand latrines constructed floating on river's body, so that we can reduce pollution of water quality," he said in Martapura, Monday.
He said the presence of latrines that number reached 5,000 along the Martapura River from the city center to the Sungai Tabuk is a concern.
This was due to many people, especially those living along rivers, utilizing floating latrines.
"They highly polluting (the river) and capable of affecting the assessment of Adipura, so we are targeting to gradually eliminate those thousands of latrines," he said.
Regent asking the public to help support government programs to eliminate thousands of latrines, thus restoring the water quality of the river.
"People need to support, especially those living on the banks of the river, so that we can save water ecosystems and life in the river," he said.
According to him, the local government has developed public bathroom and lavatory (MCK), but the lack of response from the community made the program was not running.
"The next, we try to make the program keep running till efforts to maintain the water quality of the river can be running well and river water is not contaminated," he said.
Head of the Housing and Settlement Agency Boyke W Triestiyanto said Martapura river water quality has been contaminated by human feces.
"The number of latrines attained to 5,000 and each person's feces 2.5 kilogram per day, so ecoli bacteria contained in the water can be calculated," he said.
The agency, he added, has already preparing a communal septic tank so that the program could accommodate human waste in one area instead of latrines.
"The communal septic tanks can be used by 10-20 houses so the function can change the latrines and public defecation switch to the toilet at home," he said.
