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Now Have a Clean Water Processor Ready to Drink, Lermatang Residents are Excited

Now Have a Clean Water Processor Ready to Drink, Lermatang Residents are Excited
Writer :
Annisa Nur Hanifah
Translator :
Fia Arista Dewi

TANIMBAR ISLANDS (June 27, 2024) - The Ministry of Social Affairs again installed clean water treatment plants in various regions, this time installed in Lermatang Village, South Tanimbar District, Tanimbar Islands Regency, Maluku Province. The arrival of Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini was so appreciated that she was greeted with a dance by the ladies of Lermatang Village. This village is one of the focal points for installing an integrated water treatment plant. The Minister of Social Affairs asked the residents directly. “Usually, where do you take water if there is no water here? Asked Social Affairs Minister Risma. “In the old well,” answered the residents almost simultaneously.

Lermatang Village Welfare Section Head Mesak Tapdare (52) said that the problem of clean water in his village caused the residents to travel one kilometer through the bushes to get clean water from the old well. By carrying two five-liter jerry cans, the villagers must walk four to five times to fill the well. “For a long time, we in Lermatang village have desperately needed clean water. It is tough to drink, let alone bathe,” said Mesak.

The water from the old well named Wetutune Wempas has been around since the 1800s and is used by residents to meet their daily water needs. Before use, the water must be cooked first. The condition is exacerbated if there is a drought in September - November; the water from the old well will also recede so that residents have to queue for up to an hour to wait for the water to rise again, even some residents choose to travel 10 kilometers to collect water from springs in the forest.

Seeing this condition, the Ministry of Social Affairs built a clean water installation equipped with reverse osmosis (RO) technology so that residents can directly drink the water without cooking it first. In addition, residents no longer need to repeatedly take clean water over long distances. “From yesterday, they asked. I explained the arrival of the Minister of Social Affairs to provide this clean water assistance that can be drunk directly. With this attention from the government, we thank you very much because we also dream of getting water that can be drunk directly,” said Mesak.

The construction of this clean water installation, apart from being a solution to fulfill the need for clean water for residents, is also an effort by the Ministry of Social Affairs to deal with families with leprosy so that they can be closer to clean water sources.

Residents appreciate the assistance provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Residents feel proud of the presence of the Minister of Social Affairs and consider it a gift for the people of Lermatang Village. One of the residents who received clean water installation assistance, Ferdinanda (38), who works as a farmer and sells vegetables, expressed his gratitude: “Thank you for the assistance of the Ministry of Social Affairs; this is indeed our wish, the proposal of the women in Lermata Village who have been feeling the difficulty of clean water,” Ferdinanda said with a proud tone. He feels happy because his village has a clean water treatment plant assisted by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

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