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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Safe Drinking Water Product Now Available For Indonesian HomesJAKARTA, Indonesia — A new safe water treatment now available in Indonesia is being hailed as breakthrough that can improve the health of the 100 million Indonesians that lack access to safe drinking water. This affordable, safe, and easy-to-use water treatment product can be used in the home to treat water without needing to boil it before drinking. About 70 percent of the country’s residents rely on water from possibly contaminated sources and unsafe drinking water is a leading cause of diarrheal disease, which is the second-leading killer of children under five years old. The product, known as Air RahMat, was officially launched in a ceremony in Tangerang on February 28. It is the result of a unique public-private partnership called Aman Tirta, which is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development and includes Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP), CARE Indonesia International, PT Tanshia Consumer Goods, PT Dos ni Roha, and LOWE Worldwide. Aman Tirta’s objective is to increase access to safe and healthy drinking water at household level. Air RahMat, which stands for muRAH, Mudah, and sehAT, is a liquid 1.25% sodium hypochlorite solution. When the appropriate amount is added to water (3 milliliters to every 20 liters of water), then shaken or stirred, the water is ready to drink after 30 minutes. When used correctly in conjunction with proper storage, Air RahMat can reduce the risk of diarrhea by more than 50%, thus helping to ensure better health for families. Air RahMat will be sold in 100 milliliter bottles, enough to treat more than 600 liters of water and more than enough to provide a family with drinking water for a month. At Rp 4,000 a bottle, it is an extremely affordable way to get safe drinking water into Indonesian households. “With the rise in the price of kerosene, Air RahMat is a very economical way to treat drinking water,” said Robert Ainslie, Aman Tirta Chief of Party and CCP Country Representative. To ensure program sustainability, Air RahMat will be marketed commercially through retail outlets. Indonesia is believed to be the first country in the world where a fully sustainable program of this scale will be implemented. “People become clever because they have more information and choices, now there are many ways to get safe drinking water, one of which is by using Air RahMat. We have to inform the people about this, after that it is up to them to choose which is best and good for them” said Aburizal Backrie, Indonesia’s Minister of People’s Social Welfare. Air RahMat was developed through extensive research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than 10 years. Indonesia is one of more than 25 countries in the world that use a similar product. For further information, please contact: |
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