Community Concern on Environment Sanitation Upgrade for Slum Settlement in Kelurahan Matahalasan, Tanjungbalai

Abstract

The inequality of high population density with the land availability for settlement has caused irregularity of living place arrangement and the scarce of basic settlement infrastructure as what has happened at Kelurahan Matahalasan, Tanjungbalai. The bad environment sanitation influences the sustainability of life at the area. Lack of knowledge and poor understanding on the importance of health sanitation at the settlement environment are seen through the unfriendly community behavior toward the environment. It is portrayed in half of the community having unhealthy life-style such as river usage as a place for public toilet and water for life, as well as their habit of throwing their domestic-waste directly to the river which makes it potential for any illness spread. The local government’s effort to mend this condition through settlement’s environment upgrading program through community empowerment concept, however, still unable to carry out the program well, which is the basic reason for the research. This research aims to study how the community concerns on the environment sanitation upgrading at Tanjungbalai City’s slum settlement which is done through literary research and comprehensive best practice. The result shows the community’s responsibility and concern on other people interest. It is seen through their involvement in the eight processes of environment sanitation upgrading. Their concern is highly influenced by initiator role in giving understanding which result on awareness, responsibility, and community autonomy toward the importance of environment sanitation management.