The Mekarwangi Field School Group has made an important contribution toward improving the sanitation condition in five villages in the Bandung Barat community. Their action plan has blossomed into massive financial asistance.

Bandung. One of the action plans formulated by participants of Mekarwangi Field School in Mekarsari Village, West Bandung, Regency, West Java, is the utilization of Kasur Mountain spring as a source of clean water for the residents of Mekarsari and the surrounding areas.

“Of the approximately 5,000 residents of Mekarsari, only 30-40 percent have access to clean water,” said Dadi Kosasih, Chief of Mekarsari. According to Dadi, for the last ten years, area residents have been trying to channel in water from Kasur without any appreciable results. “The funds available to the residents couldn’t cover the cost of such a large water facility,” Dadi said.

The said water spring is located on a plot of land owned by PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII (state-owned plantation), 12 kilometers from Mekarsari. In other words, to get water to Mekarsari would require going through protected forest owned by Perhutani (state forest company) and Ir. H. Djuanda conservation forest.

In order to implement their action plan, Field School members conducted some simple research on the distance between the spring and their homes, the level of water flow required, and the average water consumption for the five villages in the vicinity of Kasur Mountain: Mekarsari, Suntenjaya, Pagerwangi, Wangunsari and Langensari.

The efforts finally paid off. They were able to interest a number of staff members of the Latter Day Saint Charities (LDSC) organization visiting Mekarsari in their little research project which actually was part of the Cikapundung sub-watershed Action Plan. This Holland-based organization then agreed to assist in funding the water facilities costing Rp 8 billion by providing a reservoir tank and a piping system that would connect the spring with the villagers’ homes.

“We scheduled this work to start no later than the beginning of June 2008. We are delighted to be able to cooperate with the local people to accomplish something that will benefit all of the area residents,” said Kent W. Davis, LDSC Country Manager for Indonesia.

Along with this development project that is expected to be completed in February 2009, ESP is cooperating with Lestari Foundation, an ESP Non-governmental Organization partner in West Java, to carry out various other activities to enhance the capacity of the area residents including the establishment of a “Water Committee”. The committee will consist of residents who are in charge to monitor the construction of the new water facilities, as well as to raise funds for conservation activities to protect the Gunung Kasur Spring.

“The local people must be involved from the onset of any project and through to completion and implementation of facilities. What is most important is that a system for protecting and maintaining the facilities is established and sustained well,” said Tjatja Koswara, Interim Regent of West Bandung.

Achmad Yani & Aditiajaya, Lestari Foundation/ West Java ESP