Building community resilience to ensure better water access and safe sanitation in West Kalimantan

West Kalimantan, 24 June 2022 - Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) is launching a WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) project in West Kalimantan to address the urgent lack of good sanitation in the area. The installation of sanitation systems, running water systems and drinking water filters is expected to be completed in July 2022.

Access to proper water and sanitation in rural Indonesia is still challenging. In West Kalimantan, according to the data from Central Statistics Agency, fewer than 70 percent of residents have good sanitation in the district. Community water has been a major concern, as many families commute long distances to access water on daily basis. Additionally, the practice of open defecation, which is very common in villages, contaminates the source of drinking water, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases and negatively impacting the community's well-being

To address these challenges around its concession areas, GAR launched the WASH project in Sentabai Village, which will benefit over 80 families and 4 schools. The project is facilitated by Safe Water Garden (SWG), who have an extensive experience in community capacity-building for WASH micro-systems (family-sharing systems) in Indonesia, particularly in Sumatra and Java.

"Improving access to running water, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in our concession areas is critical to ensuring the health and well-being of the communities. After successfully implementing sanitation systems for the community on Belitung in an earlier project, we realised that access to running and safe drinking water is also a concern in many areas," explained Dr. Götz Martin, Director of Sustainability and Strategic Projects, Golden Agri-Resources.

The sanitation system features four main components: a closed tank, a leach field (the garden), a pipe system connecting the parts, and a separate kitchen sink. The system is not only affordable, but also easy to build and will help addressing the rural sanitation issues. The implementation of a good sanitation system will also enhance the yield of food crops, especially those grown in edible gardens. This will serve as a catalyst to expand micro-farming and promote healthy eating habits, with the community benefitting from vegetables and fruits grown at home.

The other important part of the project is providing running water. An average family in rural Indonesia, including Sentabai community, spends much time to get clean water for their daily use. This program aims to install running water systems in the community in order to increase efficiency, and particularly to reduce the time and effort required to procure water.

Additionally, Nazava water filters will be installed to deliver safe drinking water to families. By using this filtration system, households will be able to reduce some expenses, including the cost of purchasing mineral water and LPG or electricity to boil water for an extended period.

"The WASH Project will not only build sanitation and water facilities but also train the community on how to effectively use these facilities for crop production and encourage healthy living. I am very excited to continue our work with Golden Agri-Resources, which shares our commitment to rural economic empowerment," said Dr. Marc Van Loo, CEO of Safe Water Gardens.

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About Golden Agri-Resources

GAR is one of the leading palm oil plantation companies with a total planted area of 536,907 hectares (including plasma smallholders) as at 31 March 2022, located in Indonesia. It has integrated operations focused on the technology-driven production and distribution of an extensive portfolio of palm-based products.

Founded in 1996, GAR was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 1999 and has a market capitalisation of US$2.9 billion as at 31 March 2022. Flambo International Limited, an investment company, is currently GAR's largest shareholder, with a 50.56 percent stake. GAR has several subsidiaries, including PT SMART Tbk which was listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 1992.

As an integrated agribusiness, GAR delivers an efficient end-to-end supply chain, from responsible production to global delivery. In Indonesia, its primary activities include cultivating and harvesting of oil palm trees; processing of fresh fruit bunch into crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel; refining CPO into value-added products such as cooking oil, margarine, shortening, biodiesel and oleo-chemicals; as well as merchandising palm products globally. GAR's products are delivered to a diversified customer base in approximately 100 countries through its global distribution network with shipping and logistics capabilities, destination marketing, on-shore refining and ex-tank operations in many countries. GAR also has complementary businesses such as soybean-based products in China, sunflower-based products in India, as well as sugar businesses.

For more information, please contact:

Golden Agri-Resources Media Team
Beni Wijaya
[email protected]

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