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Clean water program benefits 121 Clove Farmers and 170 Families
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T
he Environment and Forestry Ministry estimates that about 50 percent of critical land in Bali is located in Buleleng, which has suffered from a lack of water, especially during the dry season.
Some 30 percent of Buleleng’s economy is supported by agriculture. Since 2015, PT HM Sampoerna (Sampoerna) has been working together with the IDEP Foundation to resolve this issue through its "Access to Clean Water" initiative.
This program was carried out from 2015 to 2016 in Gobleg village in Banjar subdistrict and Selat village in Sukasada subdistrict, both in Buleleng, Bali.
Altogether, the program impacted 13,000 beneficiaries in these areas, including clove farmers, by facilitating access to water for irrigation and providing communities with good sanitation facilities.
Proper irrigation is important, as it contributes 20 to 30 percent toward production success, according to a study conducted by the Agriculture Ministry.
In addition to irrigation, clean water is also vital for public health and the mitigation of disease. Dermatitis, a skin-related disease, is considered by the Buleleng Health Agency to be one of the top ten diseases to affect the area.
Framework and strategy
This 12-month program was divided into two phases: the construction of water management and sanitation facilities, and water distribution.
The communities of the two villages were involved in the construction phase in order to raise their sense of ownership over the facilities, adding to the unique nature of the program. Women provided food while the clove farmers volunteered to carry materials.
A water shelter tank equipped with a hydraulic pump was built to distribute water effectively. A 1,000-meter-long HDPE PN 100 (75mm) pipe system was also installed to optimize the system. The piping was chosen for its higher durability and flexibility.
In order to ensure the cleanliness and quality of water distribution, a filtration tank was attached to each installation of the pipe and water tank systems.
The program was based on one of the company’s philosophic values of benefitting society at large. The program is also in line with the government’s 2015-2019 National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) and President Joko Widodo’s nine-point development program, or "Nawacita".
These milestones resulted in the company receiving awards for its community-based programs.
Achievements and future
According to the Buleleng Statistic Agency, the productivity of clove farmers in Gobleg village increased from 180 tons in 2015 to 195 tons in 2016. Meanwhile, clove farmers in Selat village increased their productivity from 248 tons in 2015 to 251 tons in 2016.
Following the success story in Buleleng, the company has sought to replicate and expand the program to other areas facing similar issues.
Currently, the 105-year-old company, in cooperation with IDEP Foundation, has initiated a program to facilitate access to water, sanitation, healthcare and education for communities in East Sumba, parts of East Nusa Tenggara.
The program, which provides basic sanitation through appropriate sanitation facilities, has been extended to include settlements with semi open-space community toilets and washing facilities, complete with a wastewater garden system starting at the end of 2016 until April 2018 in two villages, Kawangu and Watumbaka. Besides providing sanitation facilities, the community in those villages also learned about nutrition and how to use an organic farming system in their home gardens.
In Klungkung, Bali, the program has been expanded through the planting of perennial plants and 1,000 bio-shield trees, the use of supporting environmental protection and disaster risk mitigation and the added value of the local communities’ environmental awareness.
