REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla affirmed that priority should be given to providing clean water connections to low-income families to reduce their living costs.

"The homes of families belonging to the income-income group should be prioritized, so their living costs would come down," Kalla noted in his opening remarks at the Indonesia Water and Wastewater Expo and Forum (IWWEF) 2016, here, Tuesday.

The government has set a target to install clean water connections in 10 million homes by 2019 and has allocated a budget of up to Rp70 trillion.

The state-owned Water Supply Company (PDAM) has, so far, been ready to install clean water connections in three million households.

According to data provided by the company, only 10 million households in Indonesia have clean water connections, and the number is expected to double by 2019.

The low-income families, with no access to clean water connections, have to spend more money on buying clean water, the vice president pointed out.

He explained that every household usually spent Rp300 thousand per month for clean water, or Rp40 thousand per can, which was much more expensive than clean water supplied by PDAM.

The 10 million-clean water pipe connection program is expected to end social injustice in the society.

The IWWEF 2016 is being held at the Jakarta Convention Center, from May 3 to 5, 2016.

Themed "Clean water is a Human Right," the IWWEF is being held for the sixth time to showcase advancements in water technology.

Central and local government institutions, water supply companies, stakeholders, and water industry professionals are participating in the IWWEF 2016, which is being organized by the Indonesia Water Supply Association (Perpamsi).

The IWWEF has a strategic importance for Perpamsi to improve performance in the drinking water and wastewater sector, especially in pursuit of the 2015-2019 National Midterm Development Program target set by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing.

The target to be achieved by the end of 2019 is 100 percent access to safe drinking water, zero percent slums, and 100 percent access to proper sanitation facilities.

Perpamsi Chairman Rudie Kusmayadi noted that the IWWEF will serve as a platform to communicate on matters relating to debt relief and the socialization target of 10 million connections.

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