Boyolali residents fight to survive amid drought<\/p>\n
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Boyolali<\/p>\n
Clean water remains a luxury for many people in the country,
\nincluding residents of Tegalsari hamlet in Boyolali, Central
\nJava.<\/p>\n
The hamlet is located near a dam and traversed by two rivers,
\nbut the dam and the rivers have dried up since the dry season
\narrived two months ago.<\/p>\n
Artesian wells would relieve the water shortages, but
\nresidents here are too poor to afford wells.<\/p>\n
\"We barely have enough money to cover our daily expenses,\"
\nsaid resident Wasilah.<\/p>\n
Poverty prevents the people of Tegalsari from gaining access
\nto clean water. Most of the residents are farm laborers who earn
\nbetween Rp 250,000 and Rp 350,000 a month (US$25 and $35).<\/p>\n
That is barely enough to feed the average family, send the
\nchildren to school and pay the electricity bill.<\/p>\n
In the absence of wells, 56 people from eight families in the
\nhamlet rely on a spring near their neighborhood for water for
\ncooking. To wash their clothes and bathe, residents use what
\nlittle water remains in the two rivers.<\/p>\n
With water becoming more difficult to obtain, residents are
\ndoing all they can to obtain this precious commodity. A
\nfeasibility study was conducted recently on the possibility of
\n\"tapping\" the smaller of the two rivers traversing the hamlet.
\nThis would involve digging a hole in the middle of the river and
\nallowing the water to flow into it, giving it the appearance of a
\nvery small dam.<\/p>\n
Because the river is filled with sand and small stones, it
\nwould help clean the water by acting as a filter.<\/p>\n
Residents would then use the water to fill earthenware jars
\nable to hold up to 10 liters of water.<\/p>\n
\"We would have to be patient and careful when filling the
\njars. The soil in the walls of the hole could easily slide, and
\nif that happened it would turn the river water brown,\" said
\nRumini, a resident.<\/p>\n
There is hope among residents that the government will lend
\nsome type of assistance in the project. When The Jakarta Post
\nvisited the area with two reporters from a local publication and
\na private television station, one resident mistook the
\njournalists for government officials.<\/p>\n
\"Thank you for visiting us,\" said 60-year-old Wiryo. The
\nresident was sorely disappointed after learning the three were
\nmerely journalists, who could do nothing more for the people of
\nthe hamlet than tell other people about their story.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/boyolali-residents-fight-to-survive-amid-drought-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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