Construction worker Abilio de Araujo shows off Tokolui’s new water tank. The remains of the old tank can be seen in the bottom right corner.
Suku Tokoluli, a pilot suku, used their first PNDS grant to build a new water tank for the village. The new tank holds about 10 thousand litres and supplies several nearby homes. The water, piped from three kilometres away, is so clean you can drink it.
Before the new water tank, the community walked 300 metres from the village to fetch water for all their basic needs. When asked who fetched the water, the bada’in (construction worker), Senyor Abilio de Araujo says with a wry smile: “usually the children, and the women.”
The women sitting nearby say they are “kontente loos!” (Really happy!) that the new water tap is working.
“People like PNDS because it enables us to improve our own lives.” Abilio de Araujo
The tank was built on the site of an older, smaller tank, built in Indonesian times (1975-1999), however it was constructed with only cement blocks so it did not last a long. The old tank stopped working over two years ago, and community has been walking to fetch water ever since. A series of pipes and taps allow the tank to fill, or cascade the water further down the hill to the two other new tanks in the next knua (group of houses). It takes three hours to fill the tank from empty.
Over forty people from the area took part in the construction work, each getting paid for their days of labour.
Location: Suku Tokoluli, Ermera
Project: Water tank
Cost: US$ 34,968.59
