Oe-Cusse, January 28, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Permatil NGO is success shows good results from digging a water tube in Laletek of Leolbatan mountain, Lakofoan sub-village in the Oe-Cusse Special Administrative Region, Ambeno RAEOA.
According to the Coordinator of Permatil Oe-Cusse, Arnold Suni, in 2022, with the initiative to identify old water tube in Laletek, Mount Leolbatan, they carry out volunteer service with the community to dig water tube to be used as springs.
“In 2022, I myself mobilize the Lakofoan sub-village community to work together to dig a water tube on Mount Leolbatan to revive the springs, because for years the Lakofoan sub-village community has only used rainwater to meet their living needs,” he said.
He continued, when entering Lakofian sub-village, all the people did not believe in the digging a water tube, we appealed and explained to the community that in the final process the old spring would recover, and today we finally see the very good success of the old spring recovering and being used by the community until now.
“Permatil entered the Lakofoan sub-village in 2022 to identify old springs on the top of the mountain that have a very small volume weight, then continued coordination with the authority of community including the indigenous community accepted and then could make it based on the custom of killing chickens to ask for nature’s permission to dig a water tube.” He added.
He added that the coordination process was carried out based on the culture of the Lakofoan sub-village community who asked for nature’s permission to kill chickens, and the results were good, then organize of digging a water tube and finally it has benefits, the old water source began to recover.
“The people of Lakofoan sub-village are happy because every summer the water source always increases and there is no shortage like before when there were still no infiltration wells,” he said.
He emphasized that old water sources in the past were dry and lacked water, this was caused by the behavior of people who did not care about nature and the environment, every year carrying out illegal logging which resulted in tree damage, burning land without careful consideration, as a result water sources became dry.
“People move their field from one to another, also as an ancestral culture from ancient times until now, farmers continue to move their field from one place to another because they want the agricultural products they produce to have good benefits. However, they do not know that this causes the old springs to dry up,” he said.
He informed that the community’s practice so far has always been to move fields from one place to another which is not permanent, this is something that has been inherited from their ancestors in the past until now the community still continues it.
To better explain the statistical data of the 2022 house census in Timor Leste, 182 houses in the Lakofoan sub-village have accessed springs, so far Permatil has collaborated with the community to grow springs in Laletek, Mount Leolbatan.
Reported by : Nelfiano
Picture by : Nelfiano