Mudjamil: Inventor resolves village conflict over water

Agus Maryono ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Purwokerto, C. Java   |  Sun, 05/25/2008 12:01 PM  |  Discover

"In a village, it is common that water is often a source of problems among residents," said Khairul, 38, head of Neighborhood Unit 3 and Citizen Unit 5 of Singasari village in Karanglewas district, Banyumas regency, Central Java.

The people of Singasari used to bathe, drink and wash their clothes with the dirty water they drew from wells and ponds, but conflicts frequently arose because of its unequal access and distribution.

"After Pak Jamil created distribution pipes for clean water, all such problems disappeared and people stopped fighting over water,"*he said referring to Mudjamil, who is regarded as an important figure in the village for his contributions.

Singasari resident Mudjamil, 54, teaches religion at a primary school in Baseh village of neighboring Kedungbanteng district, and graduated 34 years ago from Purwokerto's Institute of Religious Teaching.

However, he relied on knowledge he had gained much earlier in solving the water crisis: Mudjamil applied a physics principle he calls theof connected containers" - the siphon principlethat he had learned in high school.

Mudjamil explained that the device he invented in 1998 draws water from a natural source located 2 kilometers away, locally called Air Tuk, and channels it through hundreds of 3-inch PVC pipes from a distribution reservoir in the village.*

"I arranged the pipes according to the characters of water and air. Water always flows to lower ground while air rises to higher ground,Mudjamil said recently, when The Jakarta Post paid a visit to Singasari village on hearing about the invention.

"Basically, there are two pipes. The first is to regulate the pressure of water and air while a second, smaller one distributes the water to the villagers' homes. That's all. It's nothing out of the ordinary," he added.

After the first siphon pipe proved to be successful, the villagers requested additional pipes so they could all have access to clean water.

"To manage the system, a community association was formed to take care of the water distribution. It was all their initiative," said Mudjamil.

Khairul explained that a single large duct, called in cucuk in the local language, distributed water via 10 smaller pipes.

"One cucuk can serve three families, which means that each (multiple-duct) installation can fulfill the water needs of 30 households," he said.

Each household is charged Rp 1,000 (10 U.S. cents) per month for the service, and the money is used for maintenance costs, including the wagesofficers" who monitor and maintain the water system.

One particular collective of households even pooled together Rp 50 million (US$5,380) to support the system. Part of this fund was used to buy a motorcycle for the service officers to use on their rounds.

On top everything else, the siphon principle ensures that the water distribution for all households is equal.

"Once the water is connected (through the ducts), the water level will be the same. This is also a fundamental part of my device, so the technology prevents anyone from stealing water," Mudjamil said, smiling.*

Today,installation centers" - a kind of distribution reservoir -have been built across Singasari village, channeling water to more than 5,000 villagers. Meanwhile, thousands of neighboring villagers have also installed water pipes of their own.

The Singasari villagers undertook the construction of distribution reservoirs at their own expense, at a cost of Rp 3 million for each distribution reservoir.

"The government helped us by once providing Rp 120 million, but the local Banyumas administration has not shown any concern," said Khairul.

"We are also thankful to Rotary for providing the PVC pipes," he added, referring to the Rotary Club.

Many villagers in the area thus think of Mudjamil as their "Water Hero".

This "hero", however, has received no formal recognition for resolving the local water crisis with his device, and lives in an austere village house with bare brick walls.

When asked as to any rewards he had been given for his contributions, Mudjamil replied: "Receiving any part of the money never entered my mind. I'm simply happy to see that the people of my village are benefiting from it."

"The water conflict used to disrupt the harmony here. I was really concerned and tried my best to find a solution using what I learned during high school. Thank God my efforts were successful, and I'm glad that the people can now live in peace without any conflicts or disagreements whatsoever due to a water shortage," he said.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.