East Nusa Tenggara - Growth and Development

Growth and Development

Levels of poverty in the province compared with other parts are Indonesia are relatively high. In 2010, 23% of the population were classified as poor (using very modest poverty lines of around $25 and $17 per person per month for urban and rural areas respectively) compared to the all-Indonesia average of 13.3% The numbers of street children in the province, for example, are relatively high. Localised food shortages are common. Around 50% of the children in the province suffer from stunting. The challenges of promoting development and lifting living standards in a rather isolated area of Indonesia such as NTT are considerable. Main problems of development include the following:

• Differences in living standards between urban and rural areas are large; rural poverty is widespread.

• Agriculture is underdeveloped with little use of modern technology or capital, and poor access to markets

• Infrastructure in the province is underdeveloped. Roads are often poor, especially in rural areas. There is relatively little electricity throughout NTT; electricity use in 2010 was at the very low level of around 90 kWh per capita compared to the all-Indonesia around 630 kWh (and often over 10,000 kWh per capita in the main OECD countries).

• Access to water in a major problem. The province is dry for much of the year and in rural areas many of the villages must rely on unreliable and untreated local springs and other sources for water supplies. The percentage of households relying on spring water was around 40% in 2010, the highest for any province in Indonesia and well above the all-Indonesia average of 14%. Water shortages are thus a major local social and political issue in the province.

• Local education and medical facilities are poor and neglected. Although the numbers of schools and local medical clinics are adequate compared to other parts of Indonesia, the quality of services provided in these institutions is often poor.

• Resources available to the provincial and regency governments are very limited so it is difficult for local governments to improve the supply of public services.