Water company Oasen signs training MoU for reduction leakage water in Pontianak, Indonesia

On February 11, Director Jeroen Schmaal of the Dutch water company Oasen (second f/t left), interim director Pak Ismail of the joint water companies of West Kailimantan PDAM (middle) and Pontianak mayor Pak Sutarmidji (second f/t right) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a training programme to reduce water leaks in PDAM's pipe network.

In the agreement, Oasen will provide technical support, including training of PDAM's engineers.

Old pipes and theft
"The leakage level is around 25 percent. I hope that the leakage can be reduced between 11 and 20 percent," said Sutarmidji, adding that the leakage was caused by old pipes and water theft." In addition the mayor said that the renewed cooperation will also address the improvement of the water quality.

Intake salt water
PDAM and Oasen work together for nine years. One of the specific topics of this cooperation is the salt intrusion in Kapuas delta. The city of Pontianak is situated 20 km inland and during dry periods the salt seawater reaches the city's intakes for the drinking water.

Various options are under consideration, such as damming the river, creation of a reservoir or building a desalination plant.

Video report on the renewed cooperation (in Indonesian/Dutch with subtitles)

This news item is based on a travel report published in the website of Oasen (in Dutch only) and a news item on the website of Jakarta Post.

More information
Oasen
Gouda, the Netherlands
+31 182 59 33 11
www.oasen.nl