Access to safe drinking water; the role of immigrant workers

As a community with a lack of economic resources thereby creating a high dependency to immigrant workers' remittances, an absence of governmental funded public facilities and public services, and the lack of access to government fund, it is hard for the community to resolve the drinking water scarcity that has been being faced for decades. Given that context, I will describe how important the role of immigrant workers not only in supporting their family but also in developing the public infrastructure in Kumalabru.

Their role are represented by the two community based organizations which are Wakuma (Kumalabaru residents association) and DekMa (an association of Dekatagung residents and Kumalabaru residents). The two institutions has a significant role in the hamlet development as they provide fund for provision of public facilities such as educational institutions, roads, mosque, and so on. So, how do the institutions generate money?

DekMa is a remittance delivery service institution helping the immigrant workers in Malaysia to easily send money to their family on Bawean island. The immigrant workers gives money to the personnel of DekMa in Malaysia, the personnel will call the other personnel in Kumalabaru to give an amount of money to the immigrant's family. This micro business runs well because the majority of people in Kumalabaru and Dekatagung do not have access to formal financial institution services. Before DekMa was established, to be able to send money, the immigrant workers should wait one of the immigrants going back to Bawean, but it was not too often. Meanwhile, as a consequence, their family in Bawean went to debt in order to meet their immediate needs. Therefore, financial services offered by DekMa was accepted well by Kumalabaru and Dekatagaung residents.

If DekMa is the business oriented organization, Wakuma is the philantrophy organization that raises fund from Kumalabaru immigrant workers and Kumalabaru residents who migrated and lived in other parts of Indonesia. Wakuma collects money on the project basis.

Besides the two organizations, some individuals of Kumalabaru contribute to the developments by donating their possesions such as land and timber, money, food, and labor. The individuals have a belief that in order to improve their own quality of life and the other's life, participating and contributing in any development project is a must.

In terms of the effort of accessing drinking water, In 2009, DekMa and Wakuma initiated to do fund rising for establishing the water system project. They gave fund to purchase a land with a little spring on it, pipe, and construct one water reservoir. A problem arised when the community was about to determine where the reservoir should be situated; there was a good location, but they must buy the land. Initially, there was not enough money to buy the land. Then, the owner did not want to sell the land. Finally, one person donated their land, but it was in a higher location than the former, so people assume that the water force will not able to reach the reservoir if it was located in the land.

After considering that the mosque's pipe, which channels water from the further spring, can reach the same altitude, the community agreed to build the water reservoir in the donated land and started building the reservoir. At this point, the majority of people assumed that they were constructing the reservoir for channeling water to houses. The hope was a source of getting people involved and participated in the development activities.

After constructing a half of the reservoir, in 2010 they spent all money they had. Unfortunately, In that year, they cannot ask fund to DekMa and Wakuma anymore because the immigrant workers in Malaysia had hard time to get a job. Financial crisis in 2008 made construction job opportunities in Malaysia significantly decreased.

So, without money, what can they do to continue the project?

Access to safe drinking water in Kumalabaru, Sangkapura, Gresik, East Java, Indonesia

Kumalabaru, a place where I was born and raised, a place where my family is living,and a place where I have very strong emotional connection, is a little hamlet located in Kumalasa village, Sangkapura sub-district, Bawean Island, Gresik City, East Java, Indonesia. Inhabited by 92 households and 242 people, the hamlet is only featured by non-irrigated rice field, one small stream, and one communal bathroom for men and women.

The non-irrigated rice fields are productive only in rainy season, therefore people grow paddy just for their own consumption. Then, how are they able to fulfill their other needs? By being a civil servant, the favorite job for the majority of people in my community, or by establishing a business? The answer is by being an immigrant worker in Malayasia. Almost each household has a member working in Malaysia. Those people who are living in Kumalabaru heavily financially depend on their family in Malaysia or another part of Indonesia.

Then, why did I highlight stream and communal bathroom as the hamlet attribute? They are the only way from which the majority of people can access water. Only few of people have a private well that provide enough water during the rainy season. Water from wells and stream are not safe to consume due to the color and taste. People use it just for washing and sometimes bathing. For drinking water, they use water from spring in the women communal bathroom. That communal bathoom plays a significant role in community not only because of the water safety for drinking, but also because of the other functions; People use it as a gathering place where they can share stories during bathing, washing, or collecting water for drinking.

Because all hamlet dwellers use the bathroom for doing their bathroom activities, the water volume from the small spring cannot meet the needs of the community for safe and fresh water especially during dry season. They must take turns and wait for long time to get water. Averagely, each person spends around two hours to three hours a day in the bathroom. The waiting time and frequency of going to the bathroom to take water increase during dry season. Because of the decreased volume of water and the water shortage, people start collecting water at 2 a.m and finish at 12 a.m.in order to be able to meet the household needs of water.

The situation make people initiate to establish water system that would allow them to access water easily. But how? people do not have money, labor for the construction is also limited because the majority of household heads are in Malaysia in search for work. Waiting any help from the governments? it is impossible. Historically said, this community is self-help and self-organized community with regard to the development of public facilities: the communal bathroom, the mosque, the pre elementary and elementary schools, the roads, and the cemetery maintenance are funded and organized by the community. so, how will they obtain fund for the water system project?