It was announced today that Cicau Village in West Java, Indonesia will host this year’s international Community Plumbing Challenge (CPC), with Indonesia becoming the third country to host the CPC, following India in 2015 and South Africa in 2016.

The announcement was made at the opening of the fourth annual IAPMO Indonesia Education Conference in Jakarta by IAPMO Group CEO Russ Chaney.

The IAPMO Indonesia Education Conference is a public outreach event designed to promote the importance of good plumbing systems in improving the health and safety of Indonesian citizens, safeguarding the environment and boosting the Indonesian economy.

At CPC 2017 top young apprentices and professionals representing four or five different countries, including Indonesia, are expected to participate, joining forces to form a long-term international collaboration that will deliver improved sanitation infrastructure and facilities in the Cicau area.

In an exciting new development from previous editions, CPC 2017 will be presented in two parts, a ‘Design Week’ in August and a ‘Construction Week’ in November.

CPC 2017 will be presented by the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) in association with the World Plumbing Council (WPC). The project will be based at a local school, SD Negeri Cicau 02, with a range of other promotional and participatory activities planned across the village during the event.

“Our team is highly motivated to facilitate CPC2017 in partnership with SD Negeri Cicau 02, as the village is located a mere 3km from our new testing and certification facility, which opened in 2016. Through CPC2017, we aim to develop an innovative working relationship with Cicau Village that will stretch into the years ahead by using the new Indonesian Plumbing Systems Standard to make gradual gains for general public health through design and implementation of better sanitation for all,” said IAPMO Group Indonesia senior vice president Shirley Dewi.

Speaking in Jakarta today, Russ highlighted the CPC’s role in spearheading the mission of the newly established IWSH Foundation.

“IWSH is now in place to align efforts and extend the great work of organisations, governments and industry working across the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, while the CPC targets direct impact in the heart of communities where water systems are unsafe or unsustainable. Combined, the two platforms offer huge potential for improving living conditions and public health for specific areas in need. We are particularly excited to launch our newest program here in Indonesia this year to continue building bridges across our growing network of local and international partners,” said Russ.