Water Infrastructure

In rural Nusa Tenggara Timor, access to water is a major issue. In many of TLM's villages, people must walk for many hours each day to collect water from natural sources, such as springs and rivers. This water is often unclean and can harbour disease. The TLM Foundation has a number of projects that aim to improve clean water infrastructure and improve the lives of people in the village.

About

Water is a natural resource that is very useful and most potential in human’s lives and other organisms so that it can be said that water is the source of life on earth, where the need for water continues to increase over time.

This is not only caused by population growth factors, but also water is used in industrial and agricultural activities.

East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province is well-known as a province that often experiences the lack of clean water to meet the needs of urban settlements, livestock and agriculture. The availability of water is one of the important factors for economic growth and improving the welfare of the people in NTT province.

According to the Water Crisis Analysis by WALHI NTT, which is based on the Power of attorney, Governance, Production Management and Consumption, found that 70 percent of NTT area experienced a water crisis.

TLM Foundation as a community partner in improving lives, tries to help to create / increase the income of poor people living in rural areas of NTT by utilizing the potential that exists in the village involved in addressing their problems with water, both clean water and water as their support in farming.

Since 2008, until now TLM foundation has been running water supply programs for the community, both clean water and water for agriculture.

A. A. Clean Water Program

The aim of this program is the provision of clean water (healthy) for the poor who have difficulties in obtaining water because of the factor of the distance of the house to the water resource or the unavailable of clean water sources. This project is followed by WASH training. This program includes 2 activities, namely :

1. ehabilitating Existing Sources So Water Is Worth Consuming (Clean and Healthy).

This well rehabilitation project is located in 2 regions, namely Sabu Raijua district and South-Central Timor District. TLM Foundation helps the community to rehabilitate the existing local wells so that they are suitable for consumption and get sufficient water discharge in the dry season by deepening the well, installed culverts and repairing the well lips so that the well water becomes more suitable for consumption. The number of rehabilitated wells in Sabu Raijua are 82 wells in seven villages and succeeded in helping the community to access drinking water throughout the year. The total of beneficiaries is up to 4,587 people.

Whereas in South-Central Timor District there is one village called Enonabuasa Village in 2017. Formerly TLM Foundation cooperated with Enonabuasa Village in assisting productive gardens to improve the local economy. However, during the mentoring, TLM Foundation found that Enonabuasa community lacked of clean water because the water source that had been consumed by the people was very far from the settlement for about ± 3 km far at the foothill so it needed time and energy to access clean water.

Indeed, there is a traditional well near the location of the productive garden but the condition was not suitable for human consumption because the surface was flat and also very shallow only 2.5 meters deep so that the rainwater entered in rainy season, not enough discharge in the dry season, often drunk by livestock because it was not given fence, also very dangerous to be accessed by women and children.

The well rehabilitation project helped the community not less than 11 households with total beneficiaries more than 64 people around the location of the well in Enonabuasa Village, Noebeba sub-district, South-Central Timor District.

2. 2. Facilitating by installing Pipeline Facilities and Reservoirs to Bring Clean Water to Community Houses / Settlements.

TLM Foundation helps Nekmese village to supply water for drinking from a spring called "Oemat Hitu", which is located lower than a community house around the spring. Previously, people had to take water directly in the spring using rough equipment that was taking time and draining. This condition made the community preferred to buy clean water from mobile water vendors using a pick-up car for IDR. 2,000, - up to IDR. 3,000, - / jerry cans (20 liters). Therefore, TLM Foundation helped to install electric pumps, electricity meters, built pump house near springs, pipelines with accessories and storage tanks at Oemat Hitu spring and around the residents. This is very helpful for the Nekmese village community so that now people are easier to get drinking water without paying.

In addition to Nekmese Village, TLM Foundation also assisted the villagers of Netutnana, South Amanatun District, South East Timor District by developing Nanben spring into pipeline system using Hydraulic-Ram technology, which previously 30 families had to walk away to the spring to bathe, wash and take water home as a drinking water supply every day. The distance traveled from the settlement to the spring is around 800 meters with bad condition of road which is quite damaged and must cross the river. When in the rainy season, you can imagine the road condition that is very slippery, high-pitched, crossing river full of water because of the rain, it would be very dangerous especially for women and children.

Therefore, TLMF collaborated with Mr. Anton, a pastor from Jakarta agreed to start a clean water program by utilizing pipeline system using a hydraulic-ram to pump/carry water from the lowest location to a higher location. Since the beginning of July 2018 TLMF has started to work by building a bronchial tub at the location of the spring to collect water connected to the hydraulic-ram, making a pipeline bridge crossing the river then building a reservoir with a distance of about 300 meters from the spring to the reservoir and building the main tub on the site the main road in the village, the distance from the reservoir to the main tank is around 500 meters. The capacity of the main tank is 10,000 liters of water and is estimated to be accessed directly by 300 families. At this time the progress of the water project work has reached 80% completed.

These clean water programs beside for the community members, TLM Foundation also helped 3 schools in 2 assisted villages to fulfill the needs of clean water in schools, there are 2 schools in Kiubaat village, TTS district and 1 school in Ngaru Kanoru village, East Sumba district where those schools’ location are close to TLM Foundation's agricultural water project that was built to meet water needs in productive gardens.

TLM Foundation work together with people of Kiubaat Village in 2017, they collaborated with the school (Oeupun Elementary School and Kiubaat State Middle School), installed a hydraulic-ram to pump water from the the river to school location with elevation of 40 meters. This water program is used by schools to meet the needs of washing hands, bathrooms and watering plants.

Previously, students in these two schools were required to bring water from home in a container such as jerry cans or buckets every day. This project is very helpful for more than 200 elementary and junior high school students so there is no need to bring water from home every day anymore.

The same program is also implemented in Ngarukanoru Village, which is at Ngarukanoru Catholic Elementary School, near the productive gardens of Ngaru Kanoru village and dam locations so that TLM Foundation helped installing 1 tap point that helps bring water from the dam to the school making it easier for students and teachers to access clean water for school MCK needs. Before the water program implemented, students had to come to school in the afternoon, bringing water container to take water from the river, filling the tubs for the water needs in the next school day.

B. B. Water Program for Agriculture.

The water supply project for agriculture is an attempt to use / utilize water sources in the assisted villages (river, springs or reservoirs) to be channeled to agricultural land using hydraulic-ram, electric pumps or utilizing the gravity system.

The YTLM project works in collaboration with the village governments or directly with the poor who have the desire to increase income through gardening. Making farmers group 10 to 20 households, determining the location of the garden with a minimum land use right of 15 years. After the establishment and acquisition of land is complete, TLM flows water from its source to the location of the garden using pipeline system. This aims to bring water sources closer to productive garden locations so that it is easier for farmers to irrigate their crops.

1. Kolobolon Village

TLM Foundation helps to drain water from the Oefamba spring using Hydraulic-ram technology to pump water through a distance of not less than 300 meters to the location of productive garden in Kolobolon village to meet the water needs of farmers in irrigating dragon fruit seedlings of more than 1,000 trees. broiler farms, catfish ponds, tilapia and other horticultural crops.

2. Lidamanu Village

TLM Foundation helps drain water from water sources using Hydraulic-ram technology to pump water over a distance of no less than 100 meters to the location of productive location of the Lidamanu village to meet the water needs of farmers in irrigating horticultural crops in a productive garden of 1.3 Hectares.

3. Maubesi Village

There are 2 productive gardens in Maubesi Village. One uses a well that is already available at the location of the garden. To drain water from the source to the garden, an electric pump is used, thus saving time and energy in irrigating horticultural crops in productive garden. Whereas the other, expansion gardens use hydraulic-ram technology. This water infrastructure project can fulfill water needs for 2 productive gardens with various types of horticulture plants.

4. Kiubaat Village

TLM facilitates productive gardens of Kiubaat village by draining water using hydraulic-ram technology to pump water from river to productive garden in Kiubaat which is now becoming an example garden for Kiubaat people to make gardens in modern way. This water project can irrigate dragon fruit plants which are superior plants, California papaya along with other horticultural plants.

5. Eno Nabuasa Village

The water supply project for productive gardens in Enonabuasa Village utilizes a lower water source of the dam with a distance of about 20 meters from the location of the garden. To drain water from the dam to the garden, TLM together with the community use Generator pumping machines (genzet), making it easier and save energy in irrigating horticulture crops in productive gardens.

6. Nekmese Village

The location of productive gardens is right below the source of the spring, to drain water from the source to the garden, TLM utilizes the gravity system and only needs to build reservoirs in the garden as well as pipeline installations and these reduce operational costs.

7. Sahraen Village

The location of productive garden is lower than water sources with a distance of 400 meters far, to drain water from the source to the garden, TLM and members utilize the gravity system so TLM only needs to help by providing pipes (HDPE) and reservoirs in the garden. This greatly saves operational costs.

8. Ngaru Kanoru Village

The location of productive gardens is higher than the source of water, to drain water from the source to the garden, hydraulic-ram pump technology is used with consideration of the low operational costs. The TLM Foundation facilitates productive garden members, in collaboration with the village government to build dams to create elevations that are used to pump water into productive gardens.

Projects

Transforming Barren Kiubaat into ‘Paradise’

The atmosphere in GMIT Oeupun Secondary School, Sub-district of South Amanuban, Regency of South Central Timor, on Thursday (16/11/2017) in the daylight was different from usual. The school “dressed up” so well. At 11.00 of ICT, the sound of Natoni floated in the air. The voice of traditional figures loudly voiced, one after another. The students had their own way, dancing joyfully. They did not care about the heat of the sun. Around 200 students, their parents and teachers came together to ...

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