Tap water resources to generate badly needed electricity

Sun, 09/07/2008 9:45 AM | Lifestyle

Frustrated at years of attempts to get electricity supplied by state-owned electricity company PT PLN, Nipah village in Central Sulawesi decided to use their abundant natural water supply to generate electricity.

With financial assistance from the government-sponsored Mandiri National Community Empowerment Program (PNPM Mandiri), several local figures representing 259 families in the village (a total population of 1,053), made a proposal in November last year to construct a micro-hydroelectric power plant in the area.

After the proposal was approved and allocated funding of Rp 240.99 million (US$26,700), the villagers -- men, women and even children -- began working to construct a dam to supply the plant.

Later, the villagers also worked on the construction of the plant whose design was prepared by representatives in the village with technical supervision from PNPM Mandiri.

During the construction, the villagers (ranging from skilled laborers, to unskilled assistants) had to work hard moving sand, stones and gravel.

The project is now in its final stages. If all goes to plan, Nipah will soon be able to enjoy its own electricity supply -- not unlike Mamulusan and Balayon villages in the remote Liang district of Central Sulawesi, where electricity from the micro-hydro plants they built and operate, is available 24 hours a day.

At a time when PLN is struggling to meet demands for electricity supply nationwide, micro-hydro power plants at the village level have turned out to be a very effective means to enable remote communities to meet their power needs.

-- Text and photos by Hyginus Hardoyo

Comments (0) | Post comment

A | A | A |