An inter-continental effort between two Rotary clubs is responsible for bringing water to 87 families in Kedampal Village. Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset [RCBUS] joined with the Alfredton Rotary Club located in Victoria, Australia. The Alfredton Rotary Club funded the project with the help of donor Damain Caine. Members of RCBUS managed the project to ensure that a network of pipes brings reservoir water directly to or very near to the homes of people living in this little village. Nestled in the beautiful, but arid, mountains in northeastern Bali, 1,200 meters above sea level, the people of Kedampal Village are mainly subsistence farmers.
What they manage to grow is used to feed their families and their animals. There is little left for sale in markets. Limited water supplies limit growth of crops which limits food for these families which threatens their health. Conditions before this joint water project were challenging. Crops could be grown only during the rainy season if there was sufficient rain.
Villagers, mainly women and children, had to walk approximately two kilometers to the closest clean water supply, fill containers with water, and walk back to their village carrying the heavy containers. Water could be purchased, but that is an expense few of these subsistence farmers can bear.
In 2013, the Indonesian government built a reservoir near Kedampal and erected a dam to catch rainwater. The project was successful, but the pipe system to bring the water to the villages did not stretch far enough to include the 87 families of Kedampal Village. In order to remedy this situation, the two Rotary clubs offered to procure and pay for the necessary equipment to connect the 87 families to the reservoir water. The villagers agreed to supply the labor to dig the trenches in which to lay the pipe. Several members of RCBUS have participated in as many as 15 other water projects in northeastern Bali which included several Rotary Clubs both here and abroad.
The project, which was to begin in February of 2020, was postponed until August because of the pandemic. On August 13, RCBUS members met with village officials and together checked the materials and the local commitment to the project. On August 30, 2020, the project’s progress was checked and found to be well done and on schedule. The final inspection of the project took place on October 10, 2020. The tanks, pipes and fittings were in place and ready to be used. As there were fewer repairs to existing pipes than anticipated, there was enough piping material left over to install pipes running to both the local school and the local temple.
What happens next? RCBUS will stay involved in the Kedampal Water Project. Members will stay in touch with village leaders to make certain the water systems are working correctly. They will help with any necessary repairs. RCBUS members will also begin to teach water harvesting methods to help the villagers have enough water for crops, animals, personal hygiene and to drink.
RCBUS is staying active while adhering to government mandates concerning the spread of Covid. We meet via Zoom to comply with the mandates and to include our members who left for Australia when the Indonesian government closed the country’s borders. When restrictions are loosened, we meet in members’ warungs and via Zoom so we can include all members.
As Rotary members, we believe that we that we have a responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Our 35,000+ clubs work together to:
- Promote peace
- Fight disease
- Provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
- Save mothers and children
- Support education
- Grow local economies
- Tackle climate change and other environmental issues
If you would like to join this dynamic group of people who love Bali and work to help the people who live here, information to do so can be found at http://rotarybaliubudsunset.org/how-to-become-an-rcbus-member/.
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