Pangsing is a village of approximately 300 people located in West Lombok. The majority of the people in this village are fishermen. Since Pangsing is located on the coast, it is very difficult for them to have access to clean, fresh water. Most of their water sources are salty, brackish water due to their proximity to the ocean.
Several years ago, the local government drilled wells so that people in Pangsing could have access to fresh water. But the water from these wells was not suitable for consumption. Residents had to buy drinking water, about $1.50 USD per 5 gallons, from Gerung, a sub-district in West Lombok. During the dry season, the water from this well is brackish water because the village is located on the beach.
In 2017, Access Life Lombok began a clean water project to help the community obtain water from a spring located one kilometer from Pangsing. We built a water reservoir around the natural spring and installed 900 meters of water pipe to reach the center of the village. However, due to the rainy season, the rest of our project was postponed until 2018 because our trucks could not pass the road into the village. We were forced to wait until the road was repaired so that the project materials (cement, sand, iron, etc.) could be brought to Pangsing.
In March 2018, Access Life Lombok began working again in Pangsing. We worked together with the community to build a water tank next to the Pangsing mosque that could contain 17,000 liters of water. This location was chosen by the community because it is in the center of the village and everyone can easily access the water there. This water tank uses an "Appropriate Technology Design" and is suitable for areas such as Pangsing. Our team also provided "Sawyer" water filters, bought in America. These filters can be used by all members of the community to doubly ensure that the water from this project is clean and potable. The community received three of these water filters and made a schedule so that everyone could take turns in using the water filters. After working so hard together on this water project, we were all thankful to see the water flow out of the pipe.
Access Life Lombok continues to work with the people of Pangsing. Our goal is not simply to build a water system for people who need it, but to encourage the people of Lombok to continue to find solutions to the challenges they face. That now is happening by teaching them about maintainance care of this water system. We hope that this will help the people of Pangsing to take longterm ownership of this project. The Pangsing community worked hard to complete this project and we are sure they will take care of this water system so that all of Pangsing can enjoy the clean water far into the future.