Bringing water, bringing life

Maintaining proper hygiene is one of the most important ways of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. But in water-scarce areas, this can be a challenge.

The province of Nusa Tenggara Timur has historically been one of the driest in Indonesia, and in recent years this problem has been compounded by a prolonged drought. The water crisis here means community members have to walk several kilometers to fetch clean water, or wait for tanker trucks to bring in limited supplies. Working with the Indonesian Military’s regional command, Pangdam IX/ Udayana, Indika Energy is helping address the clean water shortage in the province. We identified, through an earlier study, 16 key sites where wells can be built, and helped to dig them. We also helped develop supporting infrastructure, including public bathing facilities and water troughs. In all, our efforts have helped more than 10,500 people from 1,674 households gain access to clean water.

Our community empowerment efforts there also extend to providing more than 2,500 broiler chickens to five villages to help support the communities’ efforts at building a sustainable livelihood. We also built infrastructure such as chicken coops and lighting, and provide chicken feed to support this program.