Kupang (ANTARA) – Matilda Jebi, Matilda Jebi, a resident of Penkase Oeleta Urban Village, Alak Subdistrict, Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara Province, appeared visibly tired while watering the water spinach seedlings planted in her backyard.

She carried two buckets on each side as she watered various vegetable plants covering an area of ​​no more than 1 hectare. Meanwhile, her 3-year-old child appeared to be sitting leisurely near the yard, not far from the 34-year-old woman.

The mother of three occasionally wiped her sweat. Although it was still early in the morning at 08:00 AM local time, with many dense trees around her yard, it was not enough to shield her from the scorching sunlight.

“This is how it is every morning if it does not rain. I must carry two buckets of water back and forth so that all the plants can be watered,” Matilda said as she scooped water into the buckets.

Matilda Jebi is a homemaker with three children. Her eldest child has entered the workforce and no longer lives with them.

Her second child is already in the sixth grade of elementary school, and her youngest child stays at home with her. Her husband works as a laborer without a fixed job, as he depends on orders.

She can earn money to help her husband provide for their daily needs with the small vegetable garden.

She developed an empty land in her house by planting vegetables. This productive endeavor began only two years after her house was connected to clean water from the Dendeng River Water Supply System (SPAM), the construction cost of which was covered by the Central government.

Previously, she and her husband had to buy water from water tanks. However, they struggled to afford it because it was expensive.

One 5,000-liter water tank cost Rp100,000. However, this volume only lasted a week because the water was also used for washing, drinking, bathing, and other needs.

“Back then, we could spend Rp400,000 a month," she said.

In 2022, her husband informed her that there was a registration for free pipe installation for clean water distribution from the Dendeng River SPAM.

She and several families in the area seized the opportunity. After the project was completed around mid-2022, the connecting pipes started to be installed in her house.

Since then, she and her husband have been cultivating the empty land in their yard with various vegetables, which they later sell.

For her, Dendeng River SPAM was a dream come true because getting water was difficult in the dry region of Alak Subdistrict and its surrounding area.

The little groundwater's sustainability usually lasts for a maximum of around two years. Therefore, the SPAM is very valuable for her and other families.

The SPAM has not fully reached all residents of Penkase Oeleta Urban Village.

Therefore, Theresia H. Lewar, a middle-aged woman who has lived in the area for about 30 years, still relied on her well because she had not received information about the water pipe connection.

“I really want it. It would be much better with Dendeng River SPAM. I will not have to fetch water anymore; open the tap, and water comes out, especially as I get older,” she said.

The 58-year-old also hoped that the SPAM built by the government could be enjoyed by her children and grandchildren since the existing well would not last long.

Water Source

“Now, the water source is nearby. I am never late again for fetching water. It is easier to help Mom fetch water to bathe my siblings because it is easy to get water. We can live healthier, and Dad helps with the village chief.”

These sentences are familiar to all residents of East Nusa Tenggara and almost all of Indonesia. The clean water advertisement is now not a promise but has become a reality for the people in the Alak Subdistrict, Kupang City.

In the Alak Subdistrict and its surrounding area, three urban villages are currently receiving services from the Dendeng River SPAM because its capacity is only sufficient for these areas.

The SPAM covers three subdistricts, namely the Alak Subdistrict, the Kota Raja Subdistrict, and the Kota Lama Subdistrict. The clean water distribution network does not yet cover the other urban villages.

According to Kupang City State-Owned Water Company (PDAM), only two out of twelve urban villages in the Alak Subdistrict are not included in the list of recipients of the clean water network through the Dendeng River SPAM.

The three subdistricts are known for their scarcity of clean water. This is because their locations are adjacent to industrial areas within the city of Kupang.

The Dendeng River SPAM, which now serves approximately 4,000 families in these three subdistricts, is considered to help the local economy significantly.

"Just imagine, every week, residents have to buy clean water at a price per tank of 5,000 liters ranging from around Rp85,000 to Rp100,000. It is very expensive," said Alak Subdistrict Head Ady Pally.

In addition, residents sometimes relied on soak wells, which only lasted during the rainy season and dried up during the dry season.

The Head of Penkase Oeleta Urban Village, Alak Subdistrict, Pether Nenohaifeto, stated that only 800 house connections (SR) have been installed so far in the urban village. In contrast, more than 1,000 houses need clean water connections.

Based on 2023 data, there are 2,700 households, with a total population of 11,000 people in Penkase Urban Village.

The need for water is expected to continue increasing with the area's growing number of residential developments.

With the increasing number of residences, the demand for clean water supplied by the Dendeng River SPAM is also expected to continue rising.

“We hope that there will be new pipe connections installed in houses that PDAM has previously surveyed in the near future. Especially since August marks the beginning of the peak dry season,” he said.

There is a high demand for clean water in Kupang City. As the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Kupang should have its own water supply and not rely on supplies from outside the city.

Since its inauguration in 2003, residents of Kupang City have relied on clean water from the Tilong Dam.

However, the water from the dam, which was built with a value of Rp590 billion, has not been able to meet the demand for clean water for Kupang City residents, especially in the city's outskirts.

People still rely on water tank supplies, which come from a number of individually built boreholes in Kupang City.

When Dendeng River SPAM was inaugurated in December 2023, it was expected to meet the drinking water needs of the residents of Kupang City and its surrounding areas.

The project, which began construction in 2020 with a budget of Rp173 billion, answers the water issues in Kupang City and its surrounding areas.

Water has always been a significant issue in East Nusa Tenggara Province, especially during the dry season. Therefore, the Dendeng River Water Supply System can address the water shortage residents face.

Ferdy Jeremias, Head of Customer Relations at Kupang City PDAM, stated that the project, funded by the central government through the Regional Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) in East Nusa Tenggara, is built with a water flow rate of 150 liters per second.

“With such a high water flow rate, we should have been able to serve 12,000 household connections as per the target, but currently, only 4,000 household connections have been installed," he said.

Connecting to several new houses is easy. A survey is required in collaboration with East Nusa Tenggara’s RIDA, which will later install connection pipes for the houses.

Currently, East Nusa Tenggara’s RIDA and Kupang City PDAM are collecting data to ensure that clean water distributed from the SPAM reaches households that have not yet received water connections.

Several households are deemed ineligible to receive clean water from the SPAM because they previously obtained clean water from other sources.

“So those who already receive water from other sources, such as water from Kupang Regency, cannot receive the clean water program from Dendeng River SPAM,” he said.

Kupang City PDAM targets the completion of household connections by the end of 2024 so that residents can enjoy clean water adequately.

Kupang City Regional Secretary Ade Manafe stated that the ongoing process of Dendeng River SPAM will help meet the water needs of the city's residents.

Source:

https://www.antaranews.com/berita/4037154/aliran-spamkali-dendeng-ringankan-beban-warga-kupang