For many Indonesians, turning on a clean water tap is a simple\nmatter. However, for the residents of Tautpah Village in South Biboki\nSubdistrict, North Central Timor Regency, obtaining clean water has been\nan exhausting struggle for years.<\/p>\n
To fetch water, villagers had to walk long distances multiple times\neach day. Much time and energy were spent just to meet household water\nneeds.<\/p>\n
Tautpah Village has a population of 1,211 people spread across 302\nhouseholds. Only one hamlet and parts of another have access to clean\nwater, serving about 536 people or 44.26% of the total population.\nMeanwhile, 675 people or 55.74% others still lack adequate access to\nclean water.<\/p>\n
Change began on 12 January 2026. Solar Chapter, together with the\nTautpah Village community, the Edwint & Beatrice Foundation, and\nCikarang Listrindo, successfully built a solar-powered clean water\nsupply system utilising the Sunina Spring as the main source, which has\na flow rate of 1.25 litres per second.<\/p>\n
The system is designed to meet the community\u2019s water needs up to\naround 40,500 litres per day.<\/p>\n
The infrastructure built includes the installation of a solar-powered\npump, 10 solar panels, and a water distribution network reaching\npreviously unserved areas. Through this implementation, 675 people from\n127 households now have easier, safer, and more sustainable access to\nclean water.<\/p>\n
Tautpah Village Head, Tarcisius Sako, said he felt moved seeing the\nwater flowing so strongly and filling the reservoir tank in his\nvillage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, personally, I have never witnessed anything like this\nbefore. As a leader, I feel very moved seeing how much water is now\nflowing and filling the reservoir tank. This water has truly quenched\nthe thirst of our entire community here,\u201d said Tarcisius Sako, in a\nwritten statement on Monday (16\/3\/2026).<\/p>\n
In addition to serving residents\u2019 homes, the system also provides\nwater for various important village facilities such as one PAUD (early\nchildhood education centre), one primary school, one church, and one\npolindes (village maternity post).<\/p>\n
The impact is quite significant for daily life. The new clean water\naccess reduces villagers\u2019 round-trip travel distances by up to 95%, from\npreviously 2,166 metres to just 103 metres from home.<\/p>\n
From an economic perspective, the community no longer needs to spend\nextra costs on buying or transporting water. It is estimated that each\nhousehold can save around Rp 80,000 per month compared to the previous\nsituation.<\/p>\n
These savings in time and costs directly impact increased\nproductivity in the agricultural and livestock sectors. Additionally,\nhousewives have more time for additional economic activities, while\nchildren can focus more on education without having to help fetch water\nevery day.<\/p>\n
Technically, the project realised the installation of a solar-powered\npump with a flow capacity of 5.4 cubic metres per hour for 10 solar\npanels. Additionally, around 1,400 metres of HDPE distribution pipes\nwere installed to expand the clean water service coverage to the\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
Field Coordinator and Facilitator, Deni Nahak, said the construction\nprocess took five days, involving the project team and village\nresidents. Various challenges were faced during on-site\nimplementation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen moving the panel location, (we) passed through steep areas and\nit took a long time,\u201d said Deni.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the village residents\u2019 enthusiasm never waned. From\nfathers, mothers, to children, they all worked together to help with the\nconstruction process.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter laying the pipes, they (the children) were very enthusiastic\nabout helping to dig and bury the pipes near their school,\u201d he\nadded.<\/p>\n
This programme not only focuses on infrastructure development but\nalso ensures long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n
A village water committee has been formed, and a Village Head\nRegulation regarding the management of the clean water system has been\nestablished to ensure the system\u2019s operations and maintenance continue\nto run.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, further development has also been planned. In July\n2026, construction of a 50 cubic metre reservoir and expansion of the\nwater distribution network will be carried out.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Edwint Widjaya from the Edwint & Beatrice Foundation\nhopes that the Water for Tautpah project can serve as an example of\nclean water access that is not just temporary.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hope from the Edwint & Beatrice Foundation is that the Water\nfor Tautpah project can be an example that clean water access is not\nmerely temporary aid, but a foundation for a better quality of life for\nrural communities. In the future, may the Solar Chapter water programme\nreach more areas and build sustainable impacts for communities in NTT,\u201d\nsaid Edwint Widjaya.<\/p>\n
Through this programme, Solar Chapter reaffirms its commitment to\nproviding sustainable clean water access solutions using renewable\nenergy. This initiative is expected to strengthen resilience and improve\nthe welfare of communities in remote regions of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
With collaboration from various parties, the hope is that clean water\nnot only flows today but also remains available for future generations\nin Tautpah Village.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/villagers-in-tautpah-north-central-timor-gain-abundant-clean-water-1773989486", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }