Hard work fails to pay devidends for quarriers

Hard work fails to pay devidends for quarriers

By Agus Maryono

CILACAP, Central Java (JP): The 45-year-old man was really sad
when his six children asked him for new clothes to wear at Idul
Fitri.

"I cannot think about buying clothes. I cannot even provide
ample meals for my family," Turiman, a resident of Losari
village, Rawalo district, Banyumas, says.

"I can only resign myself to our fate, especially when my
children ask me for something I cannot give them. We want to make
them happy, but we are unable to do so," he laments.

His wife, Edah, 35, feels the same. During the past year it
has been very difficult to eat properly.

Turiman is one among some 100 sand quarriers at Serayu River,
three kilometers from his home. The quarrymen concede that they
lead a hard life because the price of sand has not increased
despite last year's steep inflation rate."You see, now rice costs
Rp 3,000 a kilogram, but the price of sand remains Rp 9,000 per
boat-load of three cubic meters, while we have to dive in the
river and obtain the material with great difficulty. What must we
eat, sand perhaps?" Turiman asks.

Turiman says that before the monetary crisis, he and his three
colleagues could earn enough for their daily needs. "One boat-
load yielded a profit of between Rp 3,000 and Rp 4,000 for the
four of us. And we could get four boat-loads a day," Turiman
says.

At present they only manage to quarry one boat-load. Turiman
gets stressed out, especially when there is nobody to transport
the sand. "Yes, we have suffered a lot in the last three months
since repairs commenced on the Kalituban Bridge (in Kesugihan
district, Cilacap), two kilometers from the quarry, because
trucks to transport sand cannot enter our area now. And so we
remain idle.

"Every day we can feel only deep sorrow. As a parent I often
skip meals. What's important is that the children have something
to eat," Turiman says resignedly.

The bridge repairs have cost hundreds of sand quarriers at
Serayu River, Kesugihan, on the border between Cilacap and
Purwokerto, their jobs.

"At most there are eight people left who have the courage to
continue quarrying sand, including myself. Let us hope there is a
truck that has lost its way and appears here," Turiman says,
"Just calculate for yourself, what my family's living expenses
are. My income is very uncertain."

He says that at the moment he can at best get one boat-load of
sand, which yields Rp 2,000. "I often cry seeing my children eat
rice only, and a very small quantity at that."

He mentions that even if his income had remained the same as
in precrisis days, i.e. Rp 10,000 a day, the amount would not
always be enough to meet today's daily needs. The living
conditions of the quarriers worsened with the cessation of their
activities as a result of the bridge repairs.

Turiman has seven children. The eldest, Siti Patimah, 16, who
graduated from elementary school just last year, is married to a
man from the same village.

"I need to feed my six (other) children. Every day I must have
at least Rp 9,000 to buy three kilograms of rice," Turiman says.
"I never consider buying vegetables. I cannot afford dishes
either," Turiman adds earnestly. "I live here. The land is not
mine, but somebody else's for which I pay a yearly tax."

He plants sweet potatoes on the land. The yield helps his
family survive. "Yes, the sweet potatoes replace rice when there
is no money. The leaves are cooked into a vegetable dish every
day," Edah says.

The requirement of his children, five of whom are in
elementary school, is supported by income he makes on the
chickens he breeds. "Praise God, I still have chickens. Otherwise
there would be no money to pay for the children's school fees,"
Turiman says.

He has four free-range hens. "Every month we sell the small
chickens to help with our expenses, including school fees,"
Turiman says.

Knowing the family's condition, his neighbors suggested that
they apply for their children to be exempt from school fees.
"Thank God, two of my children are now exempt from school fees. I
still pay the fees for three children," says Turiman. He pays the
school fees at one go when he has money. "We cannot pay on a
regular basis because our money is often all used on daily needs.
We have to wait for a windfall to enable us to pay the school
fees," he says. "What I must provide every day is Rp 100 pocket
money for each child."

Edah, who hails from Kutojaya, Cicurug district, Sukabumi
regency, West Java, says she accepts the family's fate. "What can
we do? The important thing is to have something to eat every day.
That is our dream. Let others have new clothes. God willing, our
children can practice restraint and not ask for many things,"
Edah says.

Her youngest, Siti Nurjanah, is four years old. She continues
to cry while being carried. She wants a drink of milk, but Edah
can only make an empty promise with, "Yes, father will buy some
milk, now go to sleep." The child keeps crying and is carried
outside the decrepit house. Inside the house there is no
furniture except a shabby table and a rickety bamboo bench.