Cianjur (ANTARA) - Settlements at the foot of mountains are often associated with easy access to water sources. However, this is not the case for several villages in Cianjur Regency, West Java, located just a few kilometers from Mount Gede, which has abundant water sources.

The residents, most of whom are farmers, have had difficulty obtaining water sources for decades. Therefore, they could only rely on and utilize rainwater to irrigate their crops by collecting it in small ponds in the middle of their fields.

The difficulty of obtaining water sources worsened after the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Cianjur on November 21, 2022. Both surface and subsurface water sources seemed to disappear due to the emergence of faults in most of the Cugenang Subdistrict up to Cianjur Subdistrict.

As a result, residents have relied on rainwater storage tanks because digging a bore well would cost them tens of millions of rupiah, as underground water sources can only be obtained from depths of 30 – 40 meters or more.

It is not uncommon that hundreds of hectares of agricultural land in several villages are left uncultivated by their owners due to the difficulty in obtaining water during long droughts. Some have even attempted to search for spring sources more than 5 kilometers away for pipelining.

These efforts have become a solution for farmers with extra savings, supplemented by contributions from other farmers, to purchase hundreds of pipes or plastic hoses. However, the water obtained was not optimal because farmers whose fields were closer had already utilized the same water source.

“If we look at before and after the earthquake, there are more fields and plantations that were abandoned, then utilized by residents to build tents and temporary shelters for over a year because most of the water sources disappeared,” said a Cugenang farmer elder H. Kakah.

Kakah recounted the increasing difficulty in accessing water for agriculture. This led him and several farmer leaders who own tens of hectares of land to reluctantly cease cultivation until the government provided a solution by constructing a borehole used by residents from three villages in Sukamulya Village, Cugenang.

However, the borehole did not significantly help irrigate the vast fields covering hundreds of hectares as it was depleted of clean water for the residents. Eventually, they attempted to pipe water from a source amid the tea plantations to meet the water needs of the agricultural land.

After the earthquake, many aids arrived to establish pipelining for homes and farmland. Although not evenly distributed, half of the abandoned land has started to be cultivated with crops that do not require much water.

Various aids came in after the earthquake from the government, private sector, and humanitarian organizations providing services in the earthquake-affected subdistricts, including pipelining to meet the residents' clean water and agricultural water needs.

Pipelining has become a solution for residents living at the foot of a mountain in several subdistricts in Cianjur. This provides a water supply for household and agricultural needs.

Villages in Cugenang Subdistricts, Pacet Subdistricts, and several other villages are geographically located at the foothills of a mountain. It used to be easy to access water sources ranging from springs to infiltration wells and boreholes in these villages. However, residents are now facing difficulties in obtaining water sources.

After the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that devastated several subdistricts in Cianjur, residents face increasing difficulty accessing water sources. Water seemed to have disappeared from ponds, infiltration wells, boreholes, and even the usually abundant springs.

The locals could only rely on water supply from tanker trucks owned by the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI). They provided humanitarian services during the earthquake emergency response and for several months after as it continued into the long dry season of 2023.

Several villages, especially in the Cugenang Subdistrict, such as Benjod, Talaga, Cirumput, Sukajaya, Cijedil, and Mangunkerta, and some villages in the Pacet Subdistrict, like Ciputri and Ciherang, received a regular water supply for up to four months after the end of the disaster, followed by an additional three months during the dry season.

Eventually, several villages facing water difficulties received pipelining assistance and borehole construction from the government, private sector, and PMI from various regencies/cities in Indonesia. These assistances were given when water sources were distant from the villages or unsuitable for pipelining installation.

The villagers relied on these boreholes and pipelining to obtain a clean water supply, including for agriculture. Approximately 27 kilometers of pipelining have been built in several villages in the Cugenang and Pacet subdistricts that lost their water sources after the earthquake.

The difficulty in accessing water sources had already occurred before the earthquake struck Cianjur in November 2022, despite their villages being located at the foothills of Mount Gede, which should be rich in water sources.

Before, they relied on rainwater for agriculture, collected in plastic ponds in the middle of their plantations. For household needs, they depended on the supply from storage tanks of households that could afford to install boreholes.

“When the earthquake hit, we faced even more difficulties because the locals could not afford to build boreholes, which were very expensive. Some residents who could afford it initiated pipelining at their own expense from a spring located up to 5 kilometers away,” said community leader Miftah from Cugenang.

The community utilizes boreholes owned by more fortunate residents to establish connections to households and shared storage tanks. However, they wait for the owners' permission after the owners’ tanks are filled.

Many residents eventually managed the water distribution, pooling funds for operational and maintenance costs of the pipelining initially installed by those who first laid pipes from the spring source or borehole.

Several villages treat the spring connected through pipelining distributed to households in a paid manner, akin to a water supply company or referred to as a village water company, with initial installation fees ranging from Rp200,000 to Rp500,000 per connection.

Additionally, residents are charged Rp15,000 to Rp25,000 monthly, making the communal water management a source of income for the village and its administrators. Youth organizations (Karangtaruna) and local neighborhood leaders (RT/RW) primarily run the management.

The difficulty of accessing water has been overcome, even though they must pay a monthly subscription fee like urban residents. The solution provided does not burden the residents, and some of them no longer worry about water supply.

The local government's efforts to solve the clean water scarcity issue are carried out through Cianjur Regional Water Company (Perumdam) Tirta Mukti. After the earthquake, thousands of families living along the Perumdam pipeline route who were facing difficulties in accessing clean water received free connections.

Perumdam has provided around 8,000 free connections for economically disadvantaged residents in 17 subdistricts in Cianjur, including the Cugenang and Pacet subdistricts, which have long faced difficulty accessing water supplies.

“The Cianjur Regency government, through Perumdam Tirta Mukti, once again provided 5,000 free clean water connections to low-income communities in 17 subdistricts, including 500 families with stunting in the Cianjur,” said Cianjur Regent, Herman Suherman.

The installation of water connections, which should have cost over Rp1 million, was provided free of charge as part of the local government's efforts to alleviate the burden on residents and meet the people of Cianjur's need for clean water.

The Cianjur Regency government hopes that with the free water connections provided, residents will use water according to their needs and refrain from using it to wash vehicles.

The flow of water into residents' homes can enhance the well-being and happiness of the community, as people no longer need to leave their homes to obtain clean water for their daily needs.

To meet the clean water needs of residents in several areas not covered by Perumdam, such as in earthquake-affected subdistricts, the Cianjur Regency government has constructed several boreholes along with pipelining directly connected to households and jointly managed by the community.

Volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), alongside residents of Cugenang Subdistrict, Cianjur, West Java, installed a 6-kilometer-long pipelining system crossing through rice fields to meet the water needs of residents lost after the 5.6-magnitude earthquake in 2022. ANTARA/Ahmad Fikri.

Several Kilometers Pipelines Installed

The residents’ difficulty in obtaining water post-earthquake in several villages in Cianjur, especially in the Cugenang Subdistrict, can be overcome after the government, private sector, and humanitarian organizations provided assistance in the form of pipelining and borehole construction.

According to data from the Indonesian Red Cross of Cianjur Regency, approximately 17 kilometers of pipelining and four boreholes were constructed while handling the earthquake disaster in Cianjur in 2022. Meanwhile, around 10 kilometers have been built by other organizations and the government in several villages in the Cugenang and Pacet Subdistricts as a solution for residents.

The pipelining and boreholes constructed were donations from various parties such as the Central PMI, PMI branches in cities/regencies across Indonesia, state-owned enterprises such as Pertamina, and donations from local governments in Indonesia channeled through Cianjur’s PMI.

The surrounding residents maintain the 17-kilometer-long pipeline. The pipeline was installed in several villages such as Benjod, Talaga, Cirumput, Sukajaya, Cijedil, Mangunkerta, and several villages in the Pacet Subdistrict like Ciputri and Ciherang,

In addition, the four boreholes constructed by PMI in two subdistricts in Cianjur, Cugenang Subdistrict, and Warungkondang Subdistrict, have solved the difficulties faced by residents in obtaining water for household needs, which also existed before the earthquake.

The borehole constructed in Talaga Village, Cianjur Subdistrict, can supply clean water to 118 families comprising around 330 individuals. Currently, water management is handled by the locals, functioning similarly to a village-level water supply company.

The beneficiaries always maintain the borehole assistance provided by Yogyakarta’s PMI by pooling funds every month. The funds collected from residents are used to add new pipelines to households in need, ensuring that the residents’ water needs are met.

“We are trying to find donors from PMI branches in cities/regencies across Indonesia that are willing to help build pipelining or boreholes in several areas facing water scarcity, including attracting state-owned enterprises like Pertamina,” said PMI Cianjur Head Fajar Aciana.

The joint management of the water source from the installed pipelining in several villages is running smoothly. It also generates income for some residents who provide services in repairing pipelines to households.

The Cianjur’s Indonesian Forest Defenders (Rimba) Head, Eko Wiwid, noted several factors causing water shortages in several villages in the Cugenang Subdistrict. Most of them are located at the foothills of Mount Gede, which should have a relatively high water source.

The shortage of clean water for the communities in the northern region of Cianjur, especially in Cugenang, is caused by flowing spring sources both on the surface and underground water streams that have changed after the earthquake.

It was possibly caused by changes in water infiltration areas/green land in the upstream areas of the river due to land use changes, poor management, or uncontrolled water usage both from surface water sources and underground water sources.

Therefore, to meet the needs of residents facing water scarcity, the local government must promptly find appropriate and efficient solutions, such as creating clean water reservoirs upstream to distribute or channel to villages facing water scarcity with controlled management and regulations.

“Erecting water catchment ponds or artificial lakes for water storage, both for agricultural and other needs, and closely safeguarding the green areas in the upstream region to maintain water infiltration zones,” said Eko.

The small ponds in the middle of plantations in Sukajaya Village, Cugenang Subdistrict, Cianjur, West Java, are relied upon by farmers to collect water during the rainy season so that it can be used to irrigate plants when the dry season arrives. ANTARA/Ahmad Fikri

The local government should enforce regulations or spatial planning plans, both related to national and regional plans, to prevent the conversion of green areas and water infiltration zones.

In addition to promptly addressing the community's need for clean water before it becomes a larger issue, the Cianjur Regency government must immediately carry out regional mitigation and spatial planning evaluations because this concerns the lives of many people and the resilience and security of the region.

According to the analysis results of the environmental organization Rimba, the significant land use changes in the upstream areas, especially at the foothills of Mount Gede, should be a collective concern, including for the government, as protected forests and community forests are being lost and replaced by fields or plantations.

Hence, the water supply that should be stored at the foothills or flow through the rivers is lost before reaching the upstream areas. As a result, villages at the foothills face difficulties accessing water sources, especially after the earthquake, where most villages in the Cugenang Subdistrict lost their water sources.

The local government should be more selective in issuing permits to prevent further land use changes in green areas, where buildings or fields that cannot retain water stand instead of dense forests with various trees that can retain water.