Solar Power Brings Water to Village
The combination of a number of strategies for village development has proven successful. Many persistent problems have been resolved. However, technical issues related to the implementation of government programs remain.
The combination of a number of strategies for village development has proven successful. Many persistent problems have been resolved. However, technical issues related to the implementation of government programs remain.
Banyumeneng is the hamlet’s name. It is a Javanese word meaning “still water”. There is a water spring nearby. Locals have not been able to benefit from it for decades as it is located underground and faraway from their houses. However, things have now changed.
“Water used to be a luxury item. Now, it’s not so bad. It’s not too difficult [to get water],” said Suradi, 49, of Banyumeneng I hamlet in Giriharjo village, Panggang district, Gunung Kidul regency, Yogyakarta. He was sitting on the veranda of his house on Friday, Aug. 31.
For decades, the hamlet he calls home has often suffered from droughts. The hamlet is mostly built on limestone. In the dry season, locals used to suffer from water shortages and had to shell out a lot of money just to get clean water.
The nearest water spring is located in Banyumeneng III hamlet, two kilometers from Banyumeneng I. The name of the water spring is Kali Gede (Big River).
In around 2000, Suradi said the village installed water pumps at the water spring to bring water to three nearby hamlets: Banyumeneng I, Banyumeneng II and Banyumeneng III. Water is pumped from underground and channeled to reservoirs belonging to locals’ groups in the hamlets.
However, it was often difficult to get water to Banyumeneng I and Banyumeneng II, as the two hamlets are located faraway and on higher ground. The diesel engine used to pump water often broke down and was not powerful enough to transport the water. At such times, locals were forced to walk to the water spring and carry water in jerry cans.
At the time, it was not easy to get water from the spring. The route was steep and rocky. The two-meter-wide road was dangerous, especially if locals used motorbikes to get the water.
“We transport the water in jerry cans. We had to go back and forth at least five times to get enough water,” Suradi said.
College students’ innovation
The locals’ dream of resolving their clean water problem was answered in 2009. A group of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) students held a community service project in Giriharjo village, bringing new hope for locals. The provision of clean water was part of the project.
The team of students offered to install water pipes powered by solar panels to bring water from Kali Gede to Banyumeneng I, Banyumeneng II and Banyumeneng III hamlets.
In further developments, the project involved development agencies such as the Alstom Foundation in 2014 and the Indonesia Climate Change Trust Fund (ICCTF) in 2016. The UGM students were involved in every step of the project. Currently, 120 solar panels have been installed, supplying 8,000 Wp (watt peak) of power.
Using the solar panels, the pipes bring water from the water spring to the reservoirs in each of the villages, with a capacity of 5,000 liters. From the reservoirs, water is then channeled to smaller reservoirs belonging to residents, with a capacity of 2,000 liters. One of these small reservoirs is enough for five families. Water distribution to local homes in done in turns every day.
Giriharjo village head Aris Eko Widiyanto said that university students’ involvement had brought progress to the village. With their knowledge, university students can bring new perspectives to help people resolve persistent problems.
“The students’ innovation can help villages resolve problems. With fresh perspectives, students can help residents get to know and manage their own potential,” Aris said.
Locals are very much helped by the project as it enables them to save money and still get clean water. A family of more than four members only needs to shell out between Rp 100,000 (US$6.75) and Rp 120,000 a month.
“Without the solar panels, locals need to get clean water from the water tanks. They can spend up to Rp 240,000 a month for it,” Aris said.
In the beginning, only 30 families used the solar-powered water distribution system. The number grew as time went by and, currently, 170 families are using the system.
UGM director of research and community service Irfan Dwidya Prijambada said that the community service program encouraged students to understand the local community and use their knowledge to resolve their problems. The students should not only help locals but also actively engage them in resolving their problems so they can become independent in the future.
“With their knowledge, [students] can help locals resolve problems. Hopefully, this will lead to community empowerment. Actively engaging local communities in development programs will make them feel responsible to take care of what has been established in the village,” Irfan said.
The solar-powered system is not without its drawbacks. For instance, the system can only work during continuous exposure to sunlight. When the water pumps break down, repairs must be done outside the village and this is costly.
Banyumeneng I hamlet head Sumardi said the provision of clean water remained a problem that had yet to be fully resolved. He said that water tank trucks often took water from the water spring during the dry season.
“In the dry season, water debit decreases. If water tank trucks take water from here, locals can experience water shortages. This is despite the water spring belonging to locals,” Sumardi said.
Aris said that the village would continue to develop the clean water distribution system, in the hope of fulfilling all residents’ clean water needs. In the future, the solar-powered water distribution system will be integrated with the government’s community-based clean water distribution and sanitation system (Pamsimas), which is currently under development.
“The Pamsimas will increase the hamlets’ water reservoir capacity. The main water reservoir will have a capacity of 8,000-10,000 liters. The locals’ clean water needs will be fulfilled,” Aris said.
Village fund
Aris said that he welcomed the government’s village fund program. With enough funding, he said he believed residents would be able to develop their villages and achieve progress.
“The village fund is a good initiative from the government. Villages can build infrastructure so that they will no longer be disadvantaged,” Aris said.
In Giriharjo, the village fund is directed toward infrastructure projects, especially on roads between hamlets. This will hopefully optimize the locals’ mobility.
“We also wish to develop tourism, which must be supported with good accessibility in the form of roads between hamlets. Currently, many roads are damaged. We will repair that first,” Aris said.
The village’s main road is currently smooth. However, within the hamlets, especially in Banyumeneng I, Banyumeneng II and Banyumeneng III, the roads are damaged and mostly consist of cracked rocks.
Residents’ aspiration
Aris said that the distribution of the village fund was smooth and that he had not received any complaints about it. However, he complained about the reporting mechanism, as he said that there were just too many reports that should be made.
“There are so many reports and we have to make them every month. We have a few skilled employees and so many programs to do,” he said.
Aris also had complaints about the government’s Labor-Intensive Cash program, using the village fund. He said that he understood the government’s intention, namely to encourage Residents to have an additional source of income and boost the local economy. However, in practice, he said it just slowed down infrastructure development in villages.
The program requires a certain amount of money from the village fund to be allocated for labor deployment. Such a mechanism hinders villages from deploying as many laborers as before, using a voluntary work mechanism.
“Previously, we could deploy 50 residents to construct a 200-meter road. Now, we can only deploy 20 people as there is a requirement to pay these laborers,” Aris said.
The mechanism also means the laborers lack flexibility. If one laborer is registered in a project, the laborer needs to be in the project until it is completed. This is despite the fact locals may not be able to work on the project every day. Consequently, the village can deploy fewer laborers and this slows down construction projects.