Dark Nights in Tampur Paloh

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Suhaidi, 7, accompanied by his mother and father, studies by the light of an oil lamp in his house in Tampur Paloh village, Simpang Jernih district, East Aceh regency, Aceh, on Sept. 16. The village, which is located in rural East Aceh, has yet to receive lighting facilities from the state. Some people there use a generator, but most people use oil lamps.

Tampur Paloh village in Simpang Jernih district, East Aceh regency, Aceh, has no electricity. Night in the remote village at the foot of Mount Berbujang Selamat is filled with darkness.

Under the light of a kerosene lamp, Suaidi, 7, accompanied by his father Amin, 27, was learning to write. Diligently, he copied letter by letter into his notebook. Despite the lack of light, the boy was eager to learn.

In the kitchen, his mother, Rosliana, 23, was boiling water. She cooked with the light from a flashlight. She uses a gas stove to boil water, while she uses a wood fire to cook the rice and side dishes. She has to save on LPG, because it is difficult to obtain and it is relatively expensive.

"Every night, we use kerosene lamps for light," said Amin. His house is one of dozens in the village that still use kerosene lamps. Amin had received the solar light aid, but he did not know how to maintain the device. The solar-powered lighting device finally broke down and could not be used anymore.

Tampor Paloh village is located in the hinterlands of East Aceh. It is about 600 kilometers from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of Aceh. Even though it is located in East Aceh, Tampur Paloh is more easily accessible through Aceh Tamiang regency. The only access to the village, which is home to 400 people from 117 families, is by motorized boats on the river.

Disadvantaged

Tampur Paloh is an irony. The village has no land access, no telephone signals, lacks public facilities, and no electricity. The village was swept away by a heavy flood in 2006. Several months after the disaster, the residential area was relocated to a higher spot. The natural disaster was a big blow for them: the flood washed away their homes and damaged their farmlands and rice fields. In their new location, they live in wooden houses they build themselves with government assistance.

The villagers’ livelihood depends on farm and plantation agriculture, and they cultivate chilies, rice, rubber, betel, and food crops. However, the prices of agricultural commodities fluctuate frequently, while transportation costs are very expensive.

For example, renting a boat for a round trip from Tampur Palong to Kuala Simpang in Aceh Tamiang, costs Rp 800,000. The villagers typically rent a boat as a group. They depart with their agricultural produce and return with basic necessities.

While waiting for the harvest, the village’s men look for additional income and venture into the forest in search of sandalwood or white sandalwood, and not a few of them become illegal loggers.

For light, some villagers use mobile generators, but only a few, as not everyone can buy the machines. Moreover, using generators means their owners must be prepared to spend more on fuel.

Samsul Bahri, 40, is one of villager who has a generator for electrical lighting. He bought the used unit for Rp 2 million. It has the capacity to light his house and his mother’s house next door. He usually runs the generator from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Running the generator for five hours consumes about 2 liters of diesel fuel, which costs Rp 10,000 per liter. Samsul must spend Rp 900,000 per month to cover the cost of fuel, maintenance and spare parts in order to have light.

Villagers with electricity can watch television, while those who don’t have electricity at home watch TV at their neighbors\' houses or at public kiosks. After 11 p.m., Tampur Paloh is silent and completely dark.

Hampering development

Murni, 30, another villager, said the electricity shortage prevented the local population from developing. Access to information is limited, and children cannot learn maximally. Murni said the lack of electricity was especially troublesome for the village’s women.

As a mother, Murni frequently has to get up in the middle of the night to take her child to the restroom. In the early morning, she is busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"I have to use kerosene lamps, like in the colonial era," she said.

Tampur Paloh village head Ali Nafiah said the village had existed before Indonesian independence. Because of the absence of electricity, village officials proposed to the regency administration that a micro-hydro power plant be built, but they have received no real response.

"They simply said there were no energy resources for a micro-hydro power plant here," Ali said.

In early 2017, Ali urged the villagers to build a micro-hydro power plant on their own. After an energy company in North Sumatera sent technicians to conduct a survey, a micro-hydro energy source was found. "I do not recall the energy capacity of the plant. However, they guaranteed it would be enough to light every house in the village," Ali said.

The project is now in the stage of building a dam. By the end of 2017, the plant is expected to start operation. The project is being financed by Rp 750 million in village funds.

"We want to be free of darkness, similar to other villages throughout Indonesia," Ali said.

Aceh Energy and Mineral Resource Agency head Akmal said 35,000 families do not have electricity in Aceh, mostly poor families living in remote areas.

Akmal said the government was trying to fulfill the citizens\' right to electricity by providing free electricity installations for underprivileged families. Starting in 2018, about 8,000 homes per year will receive this service.

"In line with the government\'s target, 37,000 homes will be electrified within five years," he said.

Akmal said his office would deploy special teams to isolated villages to see what kind of energy resource would be suitable for their villages. "If no water source is available in an area, we will install solar power plants," he said.