22 Years of Tilong Kupang Dam, Drops of Life that Never Dry
The Tilong Dam in Kupang Regency is 22 years old, serving clean water for the residents of Kupang City and Kupang Regency.
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The stretch of Tilong Dam water in Oelnasi Village, Kupang Regency, Tuesday (23/4/2024).
It has been 22 years since the Tilong Dam in Tilong Hamlet, Oelnasi Village, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, has been operating, serving the residents' raw water needs. Kupang City and Kupang Regency, including irrigation in Kupang Regency. Even though it is not sufficient for all residents' needs, throughout its life, this dam's water has helped support residents and the surrounding environment. As many as 45 percent of Kupang City residents are still seeking clean water independently.
An inscription bearing the signature of President Megawati Soekarnoputri (2021-2024), on May 19 2002, is still neatly displayed on the right side of Tilong Dam, Kupang Regency, Tuesday (23/4/2024). The dam was built in cooperation between Indonesia and Japan. Megawati also encouraged President Joko Widodo's government to build seven new dams in a number of different districts/cities in NTT. He realized that the dam could overcome the clean water crisis in this area.
On Tuesday, the dam water overflowed beyond the main dam embankment. The sounds of water splashing in the pond resembled the waves of the sea when blown by the wind. The surrounding atmosphere was quiet, except for a girl with a motorcycle leaning on the side of the dam, waiting for a male friend who was on the way. The dam has become a tourist destination for residents, especially on weekends and holidays.
On the board, it is written that Tilong Dam has a water catchment area of 36.47 square kilometers, a flooding area of 154.90 hectares, a storage capacity of 19.07 million cubic meters, and an effective volume of 17.31 cubic meters. The average annual rainfall is 1,457 mm, the normal water elevation is approximately 100 meters, and the floodwater elevation is 102.37 meters.
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The Tilong Dam construction contract was signed by President Megawati Soekarnoputri (2021-2024). Megawati also pushed for the Jokowi administration to build seven other dams in Nusa Tenggara Timur.
On the south-east side of the dam, five adult men sat resting under a shady banyan tree on the hillside beside the dam. The scorching sun was intense. That day, they arranged the southeastern shoreline of the dam as a recreational area, as well as selling snacks for visitors.
The location is far from the government's monitoring center and facilities. They want to utilize the other side of the dam for the sake of their quality of life. The activity is a personal initiative.
"This dam was inaugurated in 2002, but until today it has not provided clean water for us around the dam. The water from the dam is directly channeled to Kota Kupang and Kupang Regency. Here, we have to rely on digging wells. Five to seven families collect money to make one well," said Umbu Nganjak (45).
Although it doesn't serve the raw water needs, several residents of Oelnasi Village utilize the reservoir water for rice fields in lowland areas, like what Umbu Nganjak has experienced. He has 2,000 square meters of rice fields in Noelbaki that are irrigated by utilizing the Tilong Reservoir. However, due to the limited water discharge of the reservoir, only 1,000 square meters of land can be cultivated for rice fields, while the rest is used for growing beans and corn.
Also read: Tilong Kupang Dam is Designed More Attractively
The southeast coast of Tilong Dam has been arranged by residents as a recreation area.
Most of the rice fields in Noelbaki Village, covering an area of about 200 hectares, are situated in lowlands utilizing Tilong's water. In addition, Tarus Village and Mata Air Village in Kupang Regency also benefit from the Tilong Dam, although not as much as in Noelbaki. The seepage of Tilong's water has a positive impact on the environment in that area, including agricultural land.
A number of endemic fauna and flora live around the dam. In that place there are several types of birds, including Timor myzomela and Timor honey sucker, and palm, tamarind and kusambi plants. The area looks greener and lush compared to other areas.
The Tilong Dam releases 100 liters of water per second to the City of Kupang and Kupang Regency, besides watering the fields in Noelbaki Village, Kupang Regency, and several surrounding villages. The 200-hectare Noelbaki rice fields have been cultivated for 22 years. Currently, most of the area is not being worked by the owners due to concerns of limited rainfall. The distance between the dam and the rice fields is about 11 km, with the land located in a flat area.
The need for clean water for residents of Kupang City, provided by the Kupang PDAM, only reaches 15 percent. The duration of the raw water flow to Kupang City, including water from the Tilong Dam, varies. There are areas that consistently receive clean water, but there are also residential areas that only receive clean water twice a week. There are also areas that only receive clean water once a week.
Also read: Water discharge from Tilong Dam, Kupang, drops drastically
The Tilong Dam in Tilong hamlet, Oelnasi Village, Kupang Tengah District, Kupang Regency, is approximately 15 kilometers away from the city of Kupang, on Tuesday (23/4/2024).
Entering the peak of the dry season, from August to December, the PDAM always reschedules the water distribution system to residential areas based on the water flow conditions from each source. For example, in 2023, the 24-hour water flow will be changed to 15 hours per day. The clean water service for residents in Kupang City is still controlled by the PDAM of Kupang Regency, which is around 30 percent.
The dam's services are enormous, but many residents do not realize where the water droplets come from that reach their homes.
The 2023 data shows that there are 51 sub-districts in Kupang with a population of 443,349 people. The fulfillment of clean water services provided by the local government for the people of Kupang reached 55 percent, including 10 percent from the provincial clean water service. The remaining 45 percent of residents try to obtain clean water through self-help methods such as digging wells, attempting to drill wells themselves, and buying water from tank trucks.
The cost of a borehole in Kupang City ranges from IDR 25 million to IDR 75 million per point, depending on the geological condition of the land. If the boring is done in hilly areas, such as Fatukoa Village and Naioni Village, the cost can range from IDR 50 million to IDR 75 million per point. Other villages range from IDR 25 million to IDR 50 million.
The majority of well owners in Kupang City sell water through tank trucks, in addition to their personal needs. Each tank truck filling is charged at IDR 20,000. On average, one well serves five tank trucks per day, with a clean water capacity of 5,000-6,000 liters per tank truck. Each tank truck fills up to 12 times a day, from 06.00 Wita to 21.00 Wita.
Also read: The Drilling Well Water Business in Kupang is Increasingly "Wet"
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Drilled well in front of the yard of a resident of Liliba Village, Kupang City, Monday (25/9/2023).
The number of privately-owned drilling wells in the city of Kupang is predicted to be around 2,000 points. Typically, drilling is done in the household yard. The ownership of these private drilling wells is not recorded by the government. Each household that is not serviced by the PDAM water company secretly installs their own drilling well.
In neighborhood RT 001 RW 002 of Liliba Village, for example, there are 15 privately owned boreholes. This number will continue to increase as the clean water service from the city government is still inadequate. There are 2,232 neighborhoods in the city of Kupang. Ownership of these boreholes is dominated by entrepreneurs, civil servants, and private employees with incomes exceeding the minimum wage of Rp 2 million per month.
The price of mobile tank water ranges from IDR 70,000 to IDR 300,000 per vehicle, depending on the distance from the resident's home to the water filling point. Many residents cannot afford to buy water at that price. They rely on fetching water from the nearest resident's well. However, during the peak of the dry season, wells that are only dug up to 15 meters deep may experience drought.
Maria Klau (54), a resident of Naimata Village in Kupang City, stated that when her well dried up, she was forced to buy water from water entrepreneurs who sell it in tanks or profiles with a size of 1,100 liters, at a cost of Rp 50,000 per tank. The water is only used for drinking after being boiled and cooking.
Also read: A number of dug water wells belonging to Kupang Dry Kerontang residents
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A well belonging to four houses in Nunleu Hamlet, Naimata Village, Kupang City, was found dry on Monday (25/9/2023). The well, which had a depth of 15 meters, has run out of water.
"For bathing needs, we can get water from a neighbor whose well still holds water. It's about 100 meters away from our house. We don't pay for it. They are also poor people, but they don't want to charge us. We not only bathe and wash, but we can also take water from there, although the distance is quite far," said Klau.
Relieve residents
Amidst the various difficulties faced by the residents, the Head of the Dam Unit I of the Nusa Tenggara II River Basin Management Office, Frengki Welkis, stated that four dams scattered across three regencies have helped alleviate the burden of the community. Tilong Dam, one of them, has been operating for 22 years, serving the people of Kupang City and Kupang Regency. It not only fulfills the need for raw water, but also assists in irrigation for agricultural land.
Drops of water from the dam reduce the difficulty of obtaining clean water and maintain the environment during the dry season. Dams provide water not just for one season, but for decades to come. The Tilong Dam is also estimated and expected to remain functioning normally for decades to come.
"The service provided by the dam is immense, but many residents are unaware of where the water droplets that reach their homes come from. Let us maintain the existing dam for the sake of our descendants. By taking care of the dam, we are also taking care of the water droplets so that they do not dry up," said Frengki.
The Tilong Dam Monument, on Tuesday (24/4/2024), symbolizes the collaboration between the Japanese and Indonesian governments. Construction of the dam began in 2021 and was inaugurated in 2002.
