Jakarta – Poor sanitation has cost the state in terms of both health and wealth, a World Bank expert said Thursday, citing annual revenue losses estimated at Rp 56 trillion yearly.

A regional communications specialist for the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program for East Asia and the Pacific, Yosa Yuliarsa, said the financial loss was spurred by the 90 million cases of diarrhea and 23,000 diarrhea-related deaths incurred every year.

Yuliarsa added that at least 45 percent of the population across the country has yet to gain access to proper sanitation, with far higher proportions in Papua and Maluku.

"About 88 percent of Jakarta's residents do have access to sanitary facilities, but almost half of the residents of Papua and Maluku have no access whatsoever," he said, as quoted by kompas.com. By improving public sanitation, Yuliarsa said, the state could save at least Rp 10.6 trillion per year.

"This is based on a calculation of the energy conserved by individuals who would need to travel in order to access a lavatory or queue up for a public toilet," he said. (amr)