Dutch provincial water boards sign infrastructure deal in Aceh

JAKARTA - Three Dutch drinking water companies have signed a 15-year deal with nine local firms in Indonesia for drinking water facilities in Aceh. The three companies, Drenthe-based WMD, South Holland-based DZH and North Holland-based PWN, have been active in Aceh, Indonesia's northern-most province, since the tsunami devastated the area in December 2004.

Around 50,000 homes in Aceh have been connected to water mains in recent years, providing water for 200,000 people. That number is due to increase to one million over the next nine years.

The Netherlands continues to treasure its special ties with Indonesia, which date from the final years of the sixteenth century. Following the 2004 tsunami, the province of Aceh was granted more autonomy in a peace deal between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement. The conflict between the central government and the militants had continued for almost 30 years.