Clean water supply and urban hygiene control in colonial Semarang, Indonesia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article discusses the endeavors of the municipality council of Semarang to establish a water governance system to tackle the crisis of safe water in the early twentieth century. The establishment of a water management system was deemed crucial owing to Semarang's transformation into an urban area with a heightened susceptibility to cholera outbreaks. The situation was further exacerbated by the increasing encroachment of the colonial population into Semarang from the late nineteenth century, coinciding with the surge in industrialization. Subsequently, a decentralized government of Semarang sought to address this issue since 1906, through the implementation of innovative technologies to produce safe water sources for public consumption and improving the water distribution system. Unfortunately, the series of programs proved insufficient in comprehensively addressing the socio-economic hurdles faced by the local community, as demonstrated by the continued exclusion of Semarang's disadvantaged population from adequate clean water access.