Probolinggo Sanitation Management

Triggering Solution for Sanitation Management in Probolinggo, Indonesia

ONE of sustainable development goals for the city to pursue is ensuring sustainable management of sanitation. With different surroundings, environment, and culture, cities across Asia-Pacific surely face unique challenges and thus also require specific solution, which might come from local initiative or replication of other’s smart practice. For the latter one, sanitation management of Probolinggo City is worth note taking.

Lingering on East Java province, Indonesia, Probolinggo City is inhabited by around 216,967 population. Considering its location lying within the path leading to Mount Bromo, one of popular tourism destinations in that area, visitors usually drop in the city before continuing their travel. With that potential, not all knows that Probolinggo City has been facing problem as other city has, particularly in sanitation.

Based on data in 2011, around 38,11 percent of the city’s population still defecated in open area. Facing this problem, local government of Probolinggo City was fully aware that turning citizen’s behavior should not be conducted by holding workshop. Regarding this, local government used triggering activity

approach, showing citizens directly the effects of defecating in open area: conducting a visit to polluted river. This visit turned out to be eye opening for the people. They realized that the habit impacted negatively to the environment and felt ashamed of what they did.

This opportunity was further used by local government to introduce solution to community. Solution offered was providing loan to build toilet. The loan enabled citizens to have their own toilet at home by credit. This initiative addressed the problem faced by the city as well as people’s economic problem.

Sanitasi Mandiri Cooperative was also other solution to this problem in Probolinggo City. Established in November 2012, this cooperative provided opportunity for people to reach out to banks and other financial institution to secure larger funds for microfinance scheme in anticipating growing demands for healthy toilets.

Triggering activity combined with Sanitasi Mandiri Cooperative was effective to overcome sanitation problem in Probolinggo City. It addressed not only environmental problem, but also economic problem faced by community. In 2013, the target of healthy sanitation was 29% of households.

Photo: taken from USAID iuwash program profile article “Community-Based Total Sanitation Approach in Probolinggo City”