Indonesians in Focus: Ponijo

By Barrie | August 21st, 2007 | No Comments

Ponijo is 85 years old, his face and hands wizened by the weather. But he is tireless in looking after the clean water needs of his community during the dry season in Giritirto village of Purwosari subdistrict, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta.

By 6 a.m. every day, Ponijo is already at the local pump, which is powered by solar cell technology. The pump is located in a corner of the village, about 1 kilometer from his home, and he always walks.

The pump was installed in 1991 with assistance from the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the Applied Technology and Research Institute, and the Gunungkidul Regency government. The idea was to implement a pilot project that could handle the community’s regular water crisis — a problem that surfaced every dry season.

The solar-powered system used in the project has three main components: Kyocera Type LA 316 J.48 photovoltaic cells with a capacity of 1,440 wettable power (WP), a type SA 1500 inverter of 1,500 WP, and a Grundfos SP 3A-10 water pump.

The community independently organized the installation of the equipment used in the pumping station. After all the equipment had been installed, the system was handed over to the community and Ponijo was selected as its caretaker and maintenance man.

The solar power that is converted into an electric current through the inverter is strong enough to pump up water from an underground river located at a depth of 20 meters in the Cerme Cave. The water is pumped into a reservoir and then channeled to four water tanks built in the middle of the village community.

While waiting for the sun to rise every morning, Ponijo cleans the solar cells of moisture and leaves.

“If we didn’t clean it now, it will get dirty quickly and break easily,” he said.

Around 8 a.m., the sun’s rays beating on the panel of solar cells provide enough energy to power the water pump. Ponijo quickly turns on the pump and the water below the cave is raised to the surface.

Within an hour, the water tank located 700 meters away in Ploso village, also in Purwosari subdistrict, Gunungkidul, is full. By 9 a.m. hundreds of villagers can be seen queuing to carry away enough water to meet their daily needs.

The three other tanks are similarly located at strategic points, close to the villagers’ houses.

The area is home to 410 families served by the solar-cell pump, each with an average of five household members. This single system thus meets the water needs of more than 2,000 people.
While community members, mostly women, are waiting in line for water, Ponijo takes the opportunity to check the system’s pipes and channels by walking along the distribution route.

“Sometimes people try to take water from the middle of the pipeline for their own private use. It’s not good for the community if the people who are queuing for their supplies are neglected,” said Ponijo, who lives alone.

In the afternoon, the taps are all closed and the water pump is shut down. The villagers are generally busy at work around this time, so the water is not needed. This is also when Ponijo has his lunch and takes a short rest.

“Could you please wait a while, sir — it’s still only 2:30 p.m. Later, at 3 p.m., the water will flow again, and people will start queuing again for water,” he said when I visited him at the pumping station.

According to an agreement with the community, the water must start flowing again at 3 p.m. So around 2:30 p.m., Ponijo returns again to the pumping station to clean off any dust that may have stuck to the solar cells. If any pipes has been damaged, repairs must wait until the following morning.

For Ponijo, who only reached the third grade in elementary school, serving the community gives him great pleasure.

“I’ve been working here for more than 10 years,” he said. “I’m happy that my energy can used for the good of society.”

Every month, Ponijo receives a “wage” of Rp 100,000 (US$11) from the community for his services. But this is not sufficient to cover his needs — it just pays for his cigarettes. To make ends meet, Ponijo earns a living by making window and door frames.

“It wasn’t the money that I was after when I took on this job,” he said. “I’m already (an old man). But if I can spend the rest of my life doing something useful, that makes me happy.”

Ponijo said the water pump was operated only during the dry season.

During the monsoon season, the community’s water needs are met by the rainwater collected the tanks. And during this period, there’s often insufficient sunshine to power the pump.

Although the pump is not used during this downtime, Ponijo maintains the equipment and sticks to his routine — and he doesn’t get paid.

“I work in the fields during the monsoon season, but I can still continue cleaning this machine,” he said. “If it’s not looked after and it doesn’t function (later), the community could suffer again.”

To meet maintenance costs, the villagers pay Rp 50 (less than 1 U.S. cent) for a full drum of 25 liters. The money collected from these regular payments is used to replace damaged pipes and meet other expenses.

“For a long time, the community has remained honest,” Ponijo said. “If someone takes two drums, they pay for two. They never take 10 liters then say they’ve taken five. All have been honest — because this is for our sake.”

The employment of solar technology has proved a boon for the community. Ponijo recalled that before the plant was installed, the village had suffered a water crisis every dry season. The village pond — normally a reliable source — dried up and the rainwater tanks became empty.

The villagers thus resorted to using underground supplies, accessible only through the cave, to get their water. The way down was rocky, steep and dark, and had to be lit by burning torches.

Facing a water crisis every dry season has become something of a norm in the Gunungkidul region. Because the district is hilly and made up of porous limestone, it has many sources in underground rivers — the problem has been the expense of getting the water to the surface.

Every dry season, local residents were forced to buy their water or walk dozens of kilometers to reach other sources.

While Ponijo’s village and surrounding community now have a reliable source of water, others in the regency still face an annual water shortage.

Based on data collected by the Gunungkidul government, water shortages affect about 200,000 people every dry season, scattered across 600 villages in 11 subdistricts.

Slamet Susanto