Tsinga village gets water reservoir

Tsinga village gets water reservoir

Markus Mardius, Contributor, Tembagapura, Titmice, Irian Jaya

A mountain water reservoir constructed by the residents of
Tsinga village has become a source of pride, and water, for the
inhabitants.

Located some 100 kilometers, or a 15-minute helicopter flight,
from Tembagapura, the reservoir took six months to complete.

Titus Oktavianus Potereyauw, the regent of Timika, expressed
his admiration for the work of the villagers when he officiated
over a dedication ceremony for the reservoir recently.

"I ask that other villages undertake the same type of project.
Hopefully, the expert from Yayasan Karya Mandiri (YKMI) of East
Java can share his knowledge and skills with other villages," the
regent said.

Potereyauw, accompanied by Andreas Anggaibak of the local
parliament, also advised the residents of Tsinga to make good use
of the water reservoir.

"The mountain water reservoir that has been built should be
well maintained. And maintaining it will not be as easy as you
think," stressed Potereyauw, who also donated some clothes to
the locals.

Bambang Wibisono, a representative of PT Freeport Indonesia,
said the water reservoir project demonstrated the close
cooperation between the Public Development Institute (LPMI) and
Freeport Indonesia.

"PT Freeport is really concerned about the development of the
locals surrounding the company," he said.

Water from the reservoir is currently being distributed to 52
houses. Other houses which are now being built will also receive
water.

Yopie Kilangin, the head of LPMI, said villages adjacent to
Freeport Indonesia would receive priority in development
projects.

He said he expected those locals who were sent to YKMI in East
Java for training would be able to improve their skills in the
future.

Six residents of Tsinga spent three months in East Java
learning about reservoirs and taps.

A source close to the project said the cost of the reservoir
was Rp 180 million. This money was used to purchase materials and
pay the labor costs.

"The water reservoir was constructed by locals. In the future
there will be other development projects to be completed. For
this reason, the inhabitants of Tsinga are asked to manage and
maintain (the reservoir)," said Yopie.

The original idea for the reservoir came from the inhabitants
of Tsinga, who previously had to travel long distances to obtain
clean water.

"It was quite a long way to get water. Every day, people here
had to go up into the mountains to get water," said Philipus Kum,
who headed the project.

However, the construction of the reservoir had its own
problems as well. Not all residents approved of the project,
mainly because they did not think they had sufficient funding to
complete the work.

But when LPMI took over the project, some of these concerns
began to disappear. Still, it took another year to convince all
of the residents of the viability of the reservoir.

The expert from YKMI used an approach that encouraged the
locals to formulate the problems with the project and learn how
to solve the problems by applying local solutions, thus enabling
them to develop the project themselves.

This approach will also help residents maintain the water
reservoir on their own.

Work on the reservoir began in March 2000. The first steps
included informing all the residents of the project, forming
committees and completing a comparative study in Pacitan, East
Java.

After this preliminary work was completed, the actual
construction began. And six months later the reservoir was
finished.

Of course, now the residents of Tsinga are obliged to pay
monthly water bills, beginning in January 2002.

"If they are late in paying their bills, the tap will be
turned off and they won't receive any water. So it depends on
them paying the bills," said Philipus Kum.

He went on to say: "Those who are receiving water must pay Rp
5,000 a month. This figure was reached by consensus, and everyone
agreed to comply with it."