In June 2020, the ALB Water Team built a water tank with a capacity of 5,000 liters that serviced 30 families (approximately 120 people). The water was piped to the center of the village so that they all could walk a short distance to get water. Previously, they had to walk up to 6 kilometers to get water. However, at that time we planned to continue our work with this village as we realized one 5,000 liter water tank was not sufficient to truly fulfill this community’s water needs.
In April 2021, the Water Team surveyed the project site in Dusun Sande again. This location is very dry and no longer has a water source. During the rainy season, the water is not potable and during the dry season there is no water. The community now can only get water by buying it from other villages and from the local government drinking water company. However, the price of water from the government is quite expensive for the village to purchase. The community pays approximately $100 USD per month for water. This is a significant cost for the community as their village economy is based on weaving baskets, making thatched walls and roofs, and on the annual clove harvest. This means that their monthly income is not consistent. Even though buying this water is expensive for the village, it is their only way to have water. They buy water every 3 days at $10 USD per truck of water.
However, they do not have enough water storage spaces to hold all the water they buy, so much of the water they purchase is wasted. Our hope is that by building 2 additional tanks for this community that they can store all the water that they buy and cut their monthly water costs to about $60 USD a month.
In May & June 2021, the ALB Water Team together with the community determined the location of the tanks and built them. Then in July, we worked to install pipes to maximize the distribution of the water among the community.
The community is very grateful and happy to receive the assistance of water tanks. Now that they have a total of 3 large water tanks, the community hopes that they can store more water than before, can buy water for cheaper, and will not have to buy it from other villages. Now when the community buys water, it can be delivered directly by the seller to the tank that the ALB water team and the community have made and all the water they purchase can be used by the community. The community feels these water tanks have met their water needs for drinking, bathing, cooking, raising livestock and farming.
