This year’s long dry season has an impact on people’s lives where the river as one of water sources has receded and there has been a sharp decline in water discharge. The wells are experiencing drought. On the one hand, the need for clean water is an urgent need that cannot be replaced.

To see the urgency of need for clean water for communities around the company, the CSR of PT Tanjungenim Lestari Pulp And Paper (PT TEL) provided clean water assistance to 13 villages around the company. The clean water program has been carried out from August to November 2019 and the amount of water distributed is more than 2,000,000 liters or 2,000 tons (248 water tankers). In the distribution of clean water, PT TeL coordinates with village officials to determine the location of the distribution points in the available reservoirs.

The amount of water that has been distributed is approximately 2,000,000 liters or equivalent to 248 tank trucks with a capacity of 8000 liters. The volume of clean water assistance this year increased from the previous year. However, clean water assistance provided by PT TeL is not only during the dry season, but whenever community needs clean water for special occasion such as social activities, the company is also ready to help.

This clean water distribution program is felt to be very helpful to the community as revealed by the statements of several community leaders from Jemenang village and Dalam village. Meri, head of sub-village 6 of Jemenang Village, expressed his gratitude for the clean water assistance from CSR PT. TEL. He expressed hope in the future that this program will continue because in Jemenang Village, the need for clean water is needed by the community. The same thing was said by Sarahim, a community leader in Desa Dalam. “Thanks to PT TeL, this clean water distribution program has greatly helped the people of Desa Dalam especially during this long drought. Hope in the future there will be a permanent solution to address the need for clean water, for example making dug wells. Said Sarahim.

Following up on community expectations, PT TeL through the Head of CSR Community Empowerment, Suparno, stated that now PT TeL is collecting data from wells in the community. Therefore, at this time, clean water assistance still needs to be done, because the sources of springs in community wells are still small, even many of the people’s wells are still drying up.
Azwar Hamid as the Head of CSR added that PT TeL is very concerned with the need for clean water in the community, especially during the dry season. PT TeL hopes that, through the help of clean water distribution, the villagers around the company can be helped in fulfilling clean water as their basic daily needs before the rainy season arrives. (ah / js / sta)