Water crisis hits Larantuka

LARANTUKA, East Nusa Tenggara: A clean water crisis has affected about 25,000 residents on Solor Island, about 10 kilometers south of here.

Residents said Tuesday that water shortages have occurred every dry season since 1986, when a major well built by the local Catholic church in the 1960s was devastated by a lack of maintenance.

The water from the spring was distributed via a 50 kilometer piping system and used to be a main source of drinking water for Solor residents. The system was neglected after the foundation's chief died in 1986.

They fear that illnesses might break out if the water crisis continues and the local government does not do anything to address the problem.

"About 25,000 residents throughout Solor Island have been hard hit by the crisis," said a resident, Yosef Kaha. "Since the government hasn't done anything to rehabilitate the water distribution system, more and more people are using salt water for their daily needs." (yac/pan)