C. Java residents face daily battle for clean water

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto, Central Java

The rains have already fallen in some areas of Central Java, while the dry season continues in many others.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said yesterday that the transition period (from the dry to rainy season) would last until December with rains falling sporadically in different areas.

Agency spokesman Waab Tamrin said that the peak of the rainy season would be in January and February next year.

Thousands of families in Cilacap, Boyolali and Purbalingga have gone without clean water this year.

In Cilacap alone, at least five districts, including Kroya, Sidareja, Kawunganten, Wanareja and Majenang have been experiencing clean water shortages for at least five months.

In Boyolali, as many as 48 villages in three districts have been suffering from prolonged drought.

Many villagers have had to sell cows to afford water for their other cows.

"A cow costs Rp 4 million. With that much money we were able to buy water for five other cows. Each cow needs 50 liters of water per day," a villager was quoted by Antara as saying.

"We expect the local administration to provide us with money to fund an artesian well project, which may cost between Rp 75 million and Rp 100 million," another villager said.

In such times of shortage, many residents from five villages in Pengadegan district of Purbalingga have only been able to bathe once a day.

"We have to use the clean water we buy from Purbalingga Water Company (PDAM) for bathing. Once a day is enough," Yusman, 45, a local said.

"The villagers club together to pay PDAM Rp 35,000 for each 4,000-liter tank of water," said Yusman.

Many of the villagers have to walk for hours over the hills to find clean water sources. "There is a river across the village, but the water is very dirty during the dry season," said Yusman.

"Those who have money find few problems in obtaining clean water. They just order clean water from PDAM. But for people like me, having money for the daily meal is good enough."

A prosperous family in Pengadegan had spent Rp 3 million to obtain water. They had instructed people to drill a hole in the river bed after which they installed a suction pump.

"Another resident has spent Rp 4 million for a domestic well project. Workers drilled a 70-meter deep hole but they still didn't manage to find any water," Sumbono, another resident said.

As individual efforts to obtain water have been unsatisfactory, Pengadegan residents have constructed a kind of small dam to hold the water from Lebak River, which is nine- meters wide.

The head of the district's development office, Tri Gunawan Setiadi, said that the village project had cost Rp 158 million. "The money came from the regency's annual budget."

Once the project is completed the water will be distributed to the villagers.

Residents said, however, that the money was not enough. "With that amount we have just been able to buy some 2,100 meters of plastic hosing which will be used to distribute water to people's homes. We really need at least 7,000 meters."