Drought hits, Balinese people flock to public baths
The main pump motor died at the rendang spring, which disrupted the supply of clean water to Semarapura, Bali. For a week, PDAM Tirta Mahottama Klungkung has received complaints from various customers in the area. The Director of PDAM Klungkung, Nyoman Renin Suyasa, said that repairs will be carried out soon so that the water supply can run smoothly.
He conveyed this to the media on August 21 last. Initially, the problem was due to the power outage from PLN which was used to drive the pump motor for the past few days. Unfortunately, after the electricity returned to normal, it was the water pump engine that was damaged.
Nyoman asserted that the process could take a while because the pump would fail due to the old age of the engine. To replace it, the water pipe must be removed in order to replace it with a new machine. Nyoman hopes that customers will be cooperative and patient.
Residents of Cingang Hamlet flock to the public bath
Prior to the problem involving a dead pump engine, drought conditions in Bali also occurred on 15 August. This has even made residents flock to public baths because of the difficulty in getting clean water supplies. This happened in Bangli city.
The disruption of the PDAM network was caused by the landslide that occurred. The landslide caused the pipes in Cingang hamlet, Kayubihi village, Bangli to be eroded due to landslides. Instead of receiving immediate treatment, the leaking pipe was only discovered two days later.
As the Head of the Technical Planning Subsection of PDAM Bangli, Wayan Gunawan stated that the damage that occurred could have an impact on various areas in Bangli. Wayan admits that the repairs may take a while because of the difficult terrain that must be taken. As of the news on August 17, according to Wayan, there were about 12 pipes destroyed by landslides in Bangli.
Wayan did not remain silent watching the water drought in Bangli. He also made an appeal via radio and mobile cars to anticipate residents' anxiety. Wayan and the other PDAM team concerned have also prepared a rotating supply of clean water to each region.
Ex-GWK Area Residents Have Difficulty in Clean Water
Another incident regarding the lack of clean water in Bali also happened when the Garuda Wisnu Kencana or GWK project was carried out. At that time the affected areas were Banjar Santi Karya, Ungasan, Kuta, South, Badung Regency. However, as of August 15, the handling has been around 80%.
PDAM Tirta Mangutama Badung is targeting to install a 1,100 meter long pipe to flow clean water to various affected areas. I Ketut Golak, as the main director of the PDAM concerned, admitted that the work that had been done since June 2019 would soon be completed in the near future.
About 80% has been done and the remaining 20% is just connecting the pipes that have been connected and planted in each resident's house. The work has been discussed with various parties, one of which is the managers of Garuda Wisnu Kencana. Because the residents who submitted these complaints were none other than those who were relocated from the former Garuda Wisnu Kencana or GWK area.
The difficulty of clean water, which should have been smoothly accepted by the former residents of the Garuda Wisnu Kencana area, is due to the repeated handover of GWK construction to several investors. Many residents admitted that prior to the relocation, they had easy access to clean water. However, this is no longer the case when they are relocated to another place, clean water becomes difficult.
