Access to safe drinking water is absolutely essential to the maintenance of life and is officially recognized by the UN as being a basic ‘human right’ as well as by the Sustainable Development Goal – SGD – 6.1, which targets ‘universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all’.

Hydration is particularly important for the healthy development of young children, and is essential for increasing brain function and memory. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 need a minimum of 9-10 cups of water per day for effective brain function. 

Unfortunately, less than 30% of Indonesia’s population actually has access to safe, clean drinking water. Although treated, water supplied by regional water utility companies across Indonesia is not safe for direct consumption, and households still need to boil this water to make it drinkable. This results in significant CO2 emissions as well as high-energy costs – which is especially burdensome for poorer communities.

Because safe drinking water is not publicly accessible, there is a large dependency on bottled water, which contributes significantly to the ever-growing issue of single-use plastic pollution in the country.

10 years ago, Anova started to address this issue by installing Reverse Osmosis (RO) water filtration systems in orphanages across the island. Reverse Osmosis is a water purification process, which removes contaminants from the water supply by applying pressure to force it through a partially permeable membrane. RO filters are bought and the systems are built, installed and maintained by our local partner P.T. Asindo Minasegara. Water samples are collected monthly by our lab team from PT. Seafood Inspection Laboratory and tested for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Aerobic Plate Count (APC) and bacteria such as E. coli to ensure that all impurities are being successfully removed by the filters and the water is safe to consume. Since 2011, Anova has supported the installation of RO systems in 5 orphanages in Bali (Badung, Jembrana, Amlapura, Bangli) reaching approximately 130 children between the ages of 12-18. In 2022, Anova expanded this project to encompass primary schools.

In early 2022 we installed the first RO filter at primary school SD Negeri 12 Sesetan (327 students), and donated reusable tumblers to provide children with safe access to drinking water and educate about single use plastic, such as the plastic Aqua glass or bottles usually consumed.

We also constructed a catchment sink system out of the recycled plastic panels that we produced at our Ocean Bound Plastic project, which we installed at the school. We are really excited to be able to complement this program with our CSR recycling project, as this educated and shows the kids that plastic waste can be recycled and repurposed into useful new things if managed appropriately!