SOUTH HALMAHERA, NORTH MALUKU — A 45-year-old woman in Tawabi Village, West Bacan Sub-District, Mrs. Nur, has to be very careful in managing her daily water usage. Located on a small island, the people of Tawabi Village are shrouded in a clean water crisis. It has been difficult for them to get fresh water since before Indonesia even existed.
There is no valid source on how the name Tawabi came about. However, in the author’s estimation, because this area was once included in the area of one of the four mountain sultanates in Maluku, namely the Sultanate of Bacan, the word Tawabi goods comes from Arabic. Between that, it means people who repent or means people who follow.
The author, along with two other Dompet Dhuafa employees, traveled by sea from Ternate to Bacan Island. This trip took nine hours, starting at 22:00 to 07:00 WIT using a pioneer ship. Furthermore, the journey continues using a speedboat from Labuha, West Bacan, to Tawabi Village in one hour.
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In this village, people get access to clean water from wells dug near the shoreline. These wells may not be wells, but only excavations with a depth of one or two meters to obtain fresh water. Six wells were once utilized by the Tawabi community. Today, there are only two left that can still be used. Two have died, while the next two still contain water, but it is brackish or even salty. The clean water crisis is inevitable.
The two active freshwater sources are used by around 130 houses. Mrs. Nur is one of them. This water source is still on one island, but to get there, residents choose to use boats because it is closer. The distance can vary depending on how close/far the house is located. If averaged, it might be around 15 minutes.
At that time, Sunday (2/25/2024), Nur went from her house to the water source using a ketinting boat. This was probably enough to carry her and five 20-liter jerry cans. That day, she hoped to get more water. She added two more water containers in the form of similar-sized buckets.
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Unfortunately, that day was not his lucky day. He deliberately came very early, namely after Fajr when the sun had not even peeped, hoping to get the first turn. It was true that he got an early turn, but the water had not yet come out. He chose to wait. Until the sun had risen 30 degrees, the water did not come out.
“I came here after Fajr. But because the water had not risen, I went home again. In the afternoon I came here again, but there was only a little water,” Nur explained.
At noon, when the sun slipped 20 degrees west from overhead, Nur had only four jerry cans of water. There are two buckets of water too, but she uses them to wash her clothes on the spot. Presumably this was enough to save the water that she would later bring with her. According to her, the five jerry cans of water she takes can usually be used for three days. So in a week, he comes to fetch water two or three times.
“The one who fetches the water is almost here every day. Alone. Sometimes accompanied by grandchildren. If there is no water at home, I come here to get water. Maybe every two or three days,” he said.
Or it could be more days. This condition occurs when it rains. In his house, he installed a rainwater catcher. Therefore, he does not need to fetch water too often.
At the same time, we met another resident, Mr. Oge. According to him, there is another water source that allows Tawabi residents to collect clean fresh water. However, it is further away, located on Kasiruta Island. To get there, the community has to take a crossing for one to two hours.
“Sometimes if it’s dry here, we have to take it there,” he said.
Residents who come to fetch water may not be able to get clean water because sometimes the springs become brackish when the tide is high. The condition of the village, which does not yet have electricity, also adds to the problem. They only depend on generators owned by only a few houses. This location and condition make Tawabi Village one of the 3T areas (underdeveloped, outermost, frontier).
The clean water crisis in Tawabi Village has been going on for a very long time, even since Indonesia was not yet independent. The water excavation only began in 2007. Sadly, to get water worthy of consumption, residents have to spend more, because they have to buy a gallon of water for IDR 15 thousand.
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The Water for Life program in the form of borehole waqf will certainly be very useful for the people of Tawabi Village. A total of 520 people will be able to more easily get clean fresh water. This is something that the community has been craving for a long time.
“We really need water here,” said Mr. Oge again.
Of course, it’s not just about drilling wells. Like several wells that have been rolled out in this program, Dompet Dhuafa will also build a water reservoir to the top of a mountain or hill, then flow it to residential areas with pipelines.
Good friends, let’s help our brothers and sisters in remote areas to be able to get access to clean water that is suitable for daily use by waqf through digital.dompetdhuafa.org/wakaf/wakafsumur. With waqf, of course this program must be able to survive, be sustainable, and even develop in its derivative programs. With clean water, it will also trigger improvements in health, worship, economy, and education. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and Photo: Riza Muthohar
Editor: Dhika Prabowo