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?
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