KMP helped procure 29 lavatories in Parupuk, at the beginning of 2018.

Nurwenda, 23, looks happy, walking into the toilet stall attached to her rented house in Parupuk village, in Katingan. “I am happy because I now have access to a private and hygienic space and clean water,” she said. Traditionally and for hundreds of years, Parupuk villagers built floating toilets on the river Katingan, linked to their houses on the river banks. The villagers perform their daily activities using the river, for cleaning, washing, and as a toilet.

This practice is not only detrimental for the health of the community, but also degrades the overall quality of the river water. With the aim to improve water sanitation services for the community and to minimize river pollution, the Katingan Mentaya Project (KMP) helped procure 29 lavatories in Parupuk, at the beginning of 2018. The new facilities, which are attached to villagers’ houses, are clean and well maintained; completely different from the earlier, roofless sheds made of wood that lined the river. Villagers now use the new lavatories. “The closed toilet and bathroom facilities can change the habits and lives of the community. Previously, they used to shower and defecate in the same river water. Now they have more private and sanitary facilities,” Nurwenda said.